


What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You

by stargatefan_archivist



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-09-07
Updated: 2004-09-07
Packaged: 2018-10-06 22:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10345557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stargatefan_archivist/pseuds/stargatefan_archivist
Summary: SUMMARY:  “Sometimes memories should stay where they were in the past, in the shadows to glance back at occasionally to make sure they stay in their place, not as a bump in the road ahead to stumble over.”





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Yuma, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [Stargatefan.com](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Stargatefan.com). To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [StargateFan Archive Collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/StargateFan_Archive_Collection).

Stargate SG-1 Fanfiction - What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You

Metropolitan Museum of Art  
1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street  
New York, New York 10028-0198   
Phone 212-535-7710

Dr. Daniel Jackson,

The reason for this letter is to inform you that we has discovered a crate belonging to your parents, the late Drs. Melburn and Claire Jackson.

We are currently undergoing major renovations and during this process the crate was found in the basement of our facility. It had apparently been shipped from Cairo, Egypt in August of 1973 according to the stamping on the crate. 

You were the only remaining relative we could locate, and may I say you are a difficult man to track down. We would like for you to retrieve the item at your earliest convenience so that renovations in this section of the building may proceed.

We deeply regret the misplacement of the crate and hope to hear from you as soon as possible to make the necessary arrangements.

Sincerely,

_Julia Robertson_   
Assistant Curator

Daniel gripped the crisp white paper between his fingers re-reading the words, still somewhat stunned. After the initial surprise he had settled into a more comfortable numbness, which was just fine with him. 

It had been, after all, over thirty years since he’d witnessed his parent’s horrific deaths at this very same museum. The saying, ‘time heals all wounds’, wasn’t completely off the mark. The passage of time hadn’t healed the scars, for they ran deep, but it had leant a level of acceptance that made facing this unexpected turn of events at least bearable. He had over the years allowed the passing of time to put a more comfortable distance between their deaths and his pain. As long as he kept that distance he could handle this. 

It hadn’t been that much of a shock to hear that one of the most reputable museums in the world had ‘lost’ one of the thousands of items that came through their doors each year. It was more disconcerting that they had found a lost item that belonged to _his_ parents. It was personal.

‘Cairo…Melburn and Claire Jackson…1973...’ He could almost feel each word as if it were trying to uncover the wound that he had finally over the years put behind him. If it hadn’t been for the Gamekeeper on P7J-989 and his virtual reality machines, the memories would have stayed even further back where they belonged. But when he’d found himself along with his teammate, Samantha Carter, thrust into his memories of the cover stone falling and the screams of his parents in that virtual but all too real world, the wound had been completely gouged open once again. The mission to that planet had been almost six years ago and it had taken him awhile to cover the painful memory once again, but he had somehow managed to do it.

This was not going to uncover all that hurt all over again. He would simply go to New York, look over the contents of the crate, and then donate the items to the museum, as he knew his parents would have wanted. A short mission. In and out before he knew it.

He folded the letter and slipped it back into his pocket then checked his watch. He had less than two hours until his flight left for New York. He planned on going to the museum straight from the airport. He had to admit his curiosity was stirred at the thought of what could be in the crate. 

He’d been on so many digs when he was young, virtually growing up on the sands of Egypt. But so many years had passed and as hard as he tried he couldn’t remember anything specific about a dig in Cairo when he was a kid. 

Maybe something in the crate would jar his memory, although that was something he had mixed feelings about. Sometimes memories should stay where they were, in the past, in the shadows to glance back at occasionally to make sure they stay in their place, not as a bump in the road ahead to stumble over.

A sound caught his attention and he looked over to the other side of his office and saw his friend Jack O’Neill standing in the doorway, his arms crossed, watching him. As their eyes met briefly, he uncrossed his arms and stepped the rest of the way into the room. 

“How long have you been standing there, Jack?” Daniel asked smiling uncomfortably as he stood up and walked over to his bookshelf busying himself with straightening a few books that were askance.

“Not long.” Jack told him. Just long enough to wish he could take time off from being General for one day and just be a friend, he thought.

“Surely you haven’t run out of General type things to do.” Daniel said teasingly. Then he turned around abruptly looking at Jack. “What? No paperwork? No red tape?”

“Well, you know it’s a funny thing about paperwork. The more you do the more appears on that desk to do, so I figured if I left it alone for a few hours it might forget to replicate.” Jack eyed his friend as he turned back to the bookshelf. 

Daniel looked over some books and thought about taking something to read on the plane but instead selected a journal and taking it off the shelf turned around and slipped it into the briefcase. He glanced up at his friend and former teammate still not quite used to thinking of him as ‘General’ O’Neill, whose brown eyes were still staring at him. He would always just be Jack to him, no matter what title he had in front of his name. “Don’t you have to, like, be within so many feet of your office or they send the cavalry after you or something?” Daniel said jokingly.

“You trying to get rid of me? DOCTOR Jackson? I’m hurt.”

“No…GENERAL O’Neill…” Daniel teased as he checked the contents of the briefcase one last time.

“Daniel, about this trip to New York. You sure you don’t want some company?” Jack had been concerned for his friend ever since he’d shown him the letter the day before. He knew Daniel was a strong, resilient person, but even so he suspected he was hurting a lot more than he was letting on.

Daniel grinned and glanced at Jack before closing his briefcase. “You hate museums. And anyway, are you sure you can just leave the base any time you want to?” He looked around for his jacket seeing it draped across a chair and stepped over to get it.

“Jeez, Daniel. You make it sound like I’ve signed on for a prison term or something. I do still have a life you know. I just thought maybe …it being ‘that’ museum and all, you could use a friend.”

Daniel picked up the jacket holding it in clenched hands and stopped as he tried to push the shadows back in their place that were threatening to escape, and took a quiet deep breath before turning around. 

“I told you, Jack, I’m fine.” He reached over and turned off the computer, flipped off the desk lamp and picked up the briefcase, turning to face his friend. Seeing the concern in Jack’s face forced him to look away and he started toward the door.

Jack followed Daniel and they both walked silently to the elevator. Daniel reached over and punched the button, willing it to rise faster as he gripped the briefcase with both hands holding the jacket in front of him. They watched as the numbers ascended and finally it stopped and the door opened. Daniel stepped inside and when he turned back around Jack was standing there with his hands in his pockets staring at the open elevator car. Daniel started to reach over and punch the number but stopped when Jack suddenly put his hand against the door that was threatening to close.

“If you want to give me a call when you get there, I won’t mind, Daniel.”

“Sure I wouldn’t be interrupting some important high-level meeting or something?”

“Oh puleez, if you mean those bureaucratic budget meetings, that would be more a rescue, not an interruption.”

“Oh. Are those today?” Daniel asked but then good-naturedly added, ”no wonder you said you’d rather go to a museum.”

“Lesser of two evils, Daniel.” Jack said as his face then grew more serious. “Call. That’s an order,” he told him as he stepped back. He could hear a chuckle from Daniel as the doors closed and he turned away from the departing elevator to go back to his mountain of paperwork. 

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Jack was still trying to get used to his new role as General Jack O’Neill. It had been one thing to feel responsible for his own team. To have that multiplied by several hundred was daunting to say the least. 

The paperwork and red tape Daniel had mentioned, now that was another story entirely. He hated it. He had always hated it. He would continue to hate it until the day they found him buried beneath the huge mountain of paperwork taking his last breath. That is if he didn’t hang himself with the red tape first. 

He really wasn’t joking about the replicating paper bit. Maybe it was a new alien species that duplicated every form he signed. The Duplicators. That must be it. 

Jack stepped out of the elevator walking through the all too familiar halls back to his office. The office with the red phone on his desk. How weird was that? He had, so far, been able to resist the urge to call up the president and see if he wanted to catch an ice hockey game or maybe call out for pizza.

He had just turned the corner when the klaxons sounded and red lights started flashing in the corridor outside the gateroom and he hurried up the stairs and walked over to Sergeant Davis who was sitting at the console. The sergeant glanced up at Jack. 

“We’ve got a message coming through, sir. It’s from P2Q-463.” Sergeant Davis informed him.

Jack stepped up to the window overlooking the Stargate and glanced down at the Sergeant. 

“It’s Vyus, General,” the Sergeant added when he noticed the questioning look.

“Ah. Well. Let’s see what they want, Sergeant. Patch it through.” General O’Neill told him.

“Hello. This is Nodal from the planet Vyus. Can anyone hear me?”

Jack bent forward toward the mike. “Yes. This is General O’Neill. What can we do for you?”

“Oh, thank goodness. General, we need your help. The cure you helped us develop six years ago literally saved our planet and we are very grateful for that but we are in desperate need of your assistance once again, I‘m afraid. Several of our citizens have died from a mysterious illness and many more may die if something isn’t done soon to stop it. Can you help us, General?” Nodal pleaded.

Just then Samantha Carter, better known as Sam walked up to the gateroom window and stood beside Jack. “Who is it, sir?” she asked.

“Vyus. Remember Nodal? You know, the planet with Linea, Ke'ra or whoever the heck she’s called now.”

Sam’s eyes rose. “I know, sir. What do they want?”

“Some of their people are dying, I guess. They don’t know why and…”

“…they want our help again.” Sam finished his sentence without thinking. “Sorry, sir.”

“General. Are you there?” Nodal’s worried voice came through the speaker again.

“Would you like me to try to find out what’s going on, sir?” Sam asked.

Jack motioned toward the console with his hand, “Knock yourself out, Carter.”

Sam sat down and put on the headset so she could talk to him easier. “Nodal. This is Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter. What’s happening with your people?”

“A few months ago several of our citizens simply went mad. After several days they grew very weak, then they refused to eat or drink. One of them jumped off a building, another took their own life after taking too many medicines. So far six are dead and several more are being held at our medical facility after showing similar symptoms. There is near panic and I fear that whatever is causing this will spread to our entire planet. Can you help us?”

Sam looked up at Jack intently. “What do you want me to tell them, sir?”

“Tell them no Carter. We can’t risk an epidemic here on Earth by sending a team through.” As his words came out one by one he could see that she wasn’t agreeing with his assessment of the situation. They both looked up as Teal’c walked in, then Jack stared back at her. “What Carter? Something on your mind?”

Sam had disagreed on a course of action occasionally before but never while Jack was General. Somehow the risks felt greater. She swallowed and then jumped right in. “It’s just that in the past six years we hadn’t even checked up on the people of Vyus after the deal with Linea…or Ke'ra. I just think we owe it to them to check it out, sir. With the proper precautions, such as the Haz-mat suits, we should be safe and we could test the immediate area with the MALP before we send anyone through.”

Jack looked over at Teal’c who hadn’t said a word. “Teal’c? What do you think?”

“I too believe we have been negligent in our responsibility to the people of Vyus.” Teal’c stated.

Jack looked from one to the other thinking over what they’d said. “Even though Linea’s one of them?” he asked.

“Did she not have all memory of Linea erased from her mind and now is once again Ke'ra, O’Neill?” Teal’c inquired.

Jack knew they had a point. They’d obviously been hanging around Daniel too long. He had to admit they had kind of left them high and dry six years ago. After leaving enough of the antidote to inoculate their entire planet they had gotten the heck out of Dodge and not looked back. Still, he would never completely trust the one who now went by Ke'ra, he didn’t care what she called herself.

“Tell them we’ll send a MALP through and see if we can find out anything that way. And if, I repeat, if it looks safe, we’ll send a team through in the morning.”

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

The first place Daniel went to after entering the museum was the coat check area where he left his briefcase. He was lucky he hadn’t brought anything bigger since he’d found out no one was allowed to leave even a backpack there. Without a hotel room to leave it in he would have been in a predicament. 

A lot had changed over the years. Security was much tighter than he ever remembered it being. Although as he looked around the rich carved wood and intricate stonework the building felt familiar. However, uneasiness had settled in his bones the moment he came through the doors and he was certain it was there to stay until he could leave this place.

He knew it had been silly to avoid looking very closely at the building when he got out of the cab. As if he could pretend he wasn’t at ‘this’ museum. The one where his parents had died. He’d almost convinced himself that this was just another mission, a job to do, a loose end to wrap up. Maybe then the pain lurking in the shadows wouldn’t have a chance to sneak up on him. 

After informing the lady at the desk who he was supposed to meet he wandered around the Great Room stopping every now and then to study the paintings on the wall.

He took a deep breath and shoved his hands into his pockets and stood in front of a painting of what he didn’t know. He didn’t care. He just wanted this day to be over.

“Doctor Jackson?”

He turned around to the smiling face of a young woman and an outstretched hand and it took him a few seconds to shake off the numbness.

“Hello. Yes I’m Doctor Jackson. Daniel,” he said nervously as he shook her hand. 

“Julia Robertson. How was your flight? I understand you flew in from Colorado Springs?”

“Yes. I came straight from the airport.” 

“Would you like to take a look around first then? I understand you have a special interest in Egyptian.…” 

Daniel cut her off. “No. I mean yes I do, but I really have to catch a flight back tonight so if we could just take care of it…” He clenched his hands and pressed them against his pants when he realized they were sweating. 

“Of course, Dr. Jackson. If you’ll follow me we’ll get right to it then.” She smiled warmly and turned glancing back to make sure he was following her.

He walked out of the large room just behind her, briefly tempted to tell her again to just call him Daniel but thought better of it. Maybe keeping it business-like was the best thing to do in this instance he decided. He tried to concentrate on her words as she walked so he wouldn’t have to focus on his increasing anxiety as they headed for the destination of the crate. Aimed like an arrow to a dartboard. More like an arrow through his heart, he thought. He shook his head and made a conscious effort to concentrate on her words more and less on the words in his head.

Miss Robertson was telling him about the most recent displays at the museum. She probably does this every day, he thought, it was probably part of her job to give this same spiel umpteen times a day to groups of tourists he thought. She had a slight accent, a bit British, like maybe she’d spent time in that region but wasn’t born and raised there. She led the way down a long hallway until they came to a door with a sign for authorized personnel only. 

“Our present Egyptian collection is the finest outside of Cairo. I understand that’s where the item belonging to your parents was shipped from.” She said as she glanced back at him. When he didn’t comment she went on. “One of our most recent additions is the Temple of Dendur. It was presented as a gift from the Egyptian government in recognition of the American contribution to the international campaign to save the ancient Nubean monuments.”

“Yeah, I think I’d read something about that.” Daniel commented and cleared his throat that was for some reason getting dryer by the minute.

She came to another locked door and flipping through a string of keys quickly found the right one, inserted it and opened the door. “I understand you’re a doctor of archeology. I would love for you to come and give a lecture some time. We have a visiting lecturer program…” She stopped and stared as his brief chuckle bounced off the concrete walls. “Was it something I said?” she asked curiously.

Daniel stopped beside her, putting his finger up to his lips a moment before trying to explain. Evidently she had no knowledge of his last disastrous lecture over eight years ago.

“No, no. It’s just… I don’t give lectures anymore. But, thank you for the invitation.”

She turned, seemingly satisfied with his not totally untrue explanation and opened the door, which led down a flight of stairs. 

“So, who found the crate?” Daniel asked as he attempted to fill the silence with something besides his pounding heartbeat. “Was it you?”

“No, it was actually the crew who are going to be doing the work on this section of the building.” She said as she went farther down the long corridor until she came to another heavy door. It opened to reveal a large musty smelling room. She flipped a switch and the antiquated lights on the ceiling bathed the room in a sickly yellowish glow.

“Here we are, Dr. Jackson. You know it’s a wonder the crate turned up at all. If they hadn’t been getting these rooms ready for renovation then it might have been lost down here forever.”

They walked through row after row of shelves, boxes and crates, old and dusty, and he was thankful he didn’t have a fear of confined spaces. Even though the room was immense, the lack of windows, the low ceilings and the incredible volume of items stored down here, made the room feel small to the point of suffocating. He held his hand up to his nose and sneezed.

“Sorry about the dust and all. These lower levels aren’t used much except for storage so the cleaning staff doesn’t get down here to clean. It’s actually a bit worse right now though what with the work going on.” She stopped suddenly and he almost walked into her as she pointed to a crate sitting on the floor. “Here it is.”

She turned to look at him as he eyed the square wooden cube. “I assume you’ve made arrangements to have it picked up?” 

Daniel stared at the crate as he answered. “Actually, no. I was hoping I could just take a look at the contents here and if there’s anything the museum might want I could donate it and…if that’s all right.”

“Why, of course, Dr. Jackson. I’m sure the museum would be thrilled to accept any artifacts you might wish to donate. I’ll send someone down to open the crate. If there’s anything else you need while you’re here, don’t hesitate to ask.”

He looked away from the crate to her. “Thank you. You’ve been very helpful.”

Her footsteps clicked on the concrete floor until they grew fainter and all that was left was a thick silence. All he could hear was his own breathing and his beating heart since it seemed to suddenly be intent on pounding out of his chest. He stepped closer to the crate knelt down and ran his hand over the rough wood and suddenly he felt like he couldn’t breathe. He straightened up and turned and walked quickly back through the rows of boxes until he came to the open door and he stepped out of the musty room into the almost as equally musty hallway and stood with his back against the wall trying to get his breathing under control.

His reaction to seeing the crate belonging to his parents surprised him. He took a deep breath and then another as he waited on whoever was going to help him open the crate and get this increasingly unpleasant task finished. 

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Sam looked over as General O’Neill stepped up to the control room window again.

“We’re just getting the initial readings back from the MALP, sir.” she told him as she studied the computer screen in front of her.

“Everything looks good. Air quality is normal. No radiation or other toxic substances detected. I’m not picking up any unusual energy readings. Whatever it is, it’s not in the air, sir. At least not in the immediate vicinity of the gate.”

The MALP panned the room on Vyus again and Nodal came into view. He quietly stared at the machine until Sam spoke then he jumped at the unexpected voice.

“Nodal, we’ve just finished the initial readings from your planet and everything appears normal in the vicinity of the MALP.”

“Does that mean you and your team will be coming to help us?” he asked hopefully.

She looked up at her commanding officer and he gave her a nod but then held his hand out to stop her. “Daniel may not be back until morning so it’ll probably be one of the other teams.”

Sam turned back to the screen. “Nodal, we’ll be sending a team in the morning. It may not be SG-1 though.”

She watched his face grow more concerned, and then he nodded and leaned toward the MALP as he spoke. “I understand. Thank you.”

The wormhole blinked out and Nodal turned and walked back up the long stairway to tell the council about the help that was on its way. They would be pleased he was sure. Maybe someday they would see how well he could handle situations like this and give him a more important position on the council. Hopefully if the people know help is coming it will prevent widespread panic. Although he would have felt more comfortable if the team who had come before was the team being sent to help them again this time.

As he came closer to the meeting room he could hear voices, some of them quite loud and angry. Some members of the council had not welcomed outside assistance. The idea that those coming to help were from another planet entirely was still laughed at and not quite believed by some.

Nodal entered the doorway only to be met by a glass flying past his head shattering as it hit the wall. He ducked down and Ke'ra ran over to him as she admonished the behavior of her fellow council members.

“Nodal, are you all right?” Ke'ra asked worriedly as she helped him to his feet.

Nodal looked around the room at the faces staring at him. Some stunned, others still angry. He looked at Ke'ra intensely. “What’s going on here, Ke'ra?”

She looked at the council members with disgust. “Some would have us remove those that are ill and send them far away from here. They are afraid the sickness will spread throughout Vyus if we keep them here.”

Nodal eyed the others angrily. One of those whom the council would send away was his wife, Leyal, who had come down with the sickness a few days ago. That would not happen as long as he drew breath. If she were made to leave Vyus then he would go with her.

Ke'ra touched his arm to get his attention. “Have you spoken to our friends from Earth? Are they going to help us?” she asked hopefully.

He looked away from the group at Ke'ra with hope in his eyes. “Yes, Ke'ra. They’re going to help us.”

Ke'ra squeezed his arm and smiled. She knew how much this news meant to Vyus, and especially to Nodal. “When will our friends be arriving,” she asked eagerly.

“Tomorrow. They will be here tomorrow. It may not be the ones that came before though, Ke'ra. Their leader said a different team might be coming.”

Ke'ra’s eyes lost their sparkle, as his words sunk in. “No You must convince them to send our friends from before, Nodal. Our city is near panic. If we bring in strangers that don’t know us and the people don’t know them, it will take time we cannot spare to build a trust between us. You must speak with them again, Nodal and convince them.” 

Nodal looked over at the group who were beginning to argue once again and then looked back at her, “You’re right Ke'ra. I will try.”

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

“I’ve just about got it.” Todd grunted as the last board on the crate slowly began to pull away. “Ah. There.” The board popped up and he pried it off the rest of the way with his hands.

Daniel took the piece of wood from him and laid it on the floor along with the rest of the slats. He leaned down to look into the crate and saw a thick layer of straw covering the contents. It wasn’t unusual for archaeologists to use whatever was readily available on a dig to pack up artifacts for shipment. He had watched his parents many times pack up artifacts from their digs with whatever was lying around.

Todd stood and picked up his crowbar and turned to leave. “Well, if you need anything else just ask anybody upstairs. They’ll be happy to help you.”

Daniel glanced up and gave him a nod before turning his attention back to the crate. He bent over and started pulling out the top layer of straw until finally he could feel a rough piece of fabric. He picked up the wrapped artifact, slowly peeling away the cloth when he noticed his hands were shaking. He stopped and sat down on an empty crate, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his hands still grasping the object. 

He hadn’t planned on the powerful emotions that were fighting to the surface. Not after all this time had passed. It must be the fact that he was holding something his parents had held in their own hands. The connection was almost overwhelming. 

He suddenly felt like he had a heavy weight lying on his chest. “Get a grip,” he told himself. His voice sounded out of place in the too silent room. He started unwrapping the object once again and he swore he could smell the faint scent of the desert wafting up from the crate. 

The small carved animal had been wrapped with care and he could see that it had been tagged with a date and a number on it. Surely there had to be a paper with a list of the artifacts somewhere inside the crate. He turned it over to look at every detail then wrapped it back up and set it on top of an empty crate beside him.

He took out several more items and as he unwrapped each one and studied every detail he completely lost track of time. That is until he unwrapped the bracelet. He stared at the Goa’uld symbols carved all around the outside in stunned silence. His heart sped up as his mind tried to grasp the significance of an alien artifact found in a dig in Cairo. 

He could make out a few of the symbols but he really needed Teal’c’s help to translate it. He looked down at the crate with new eyes wondering how many more alien artifacts or other mysterious items were in there. He had to call Jack.

He took out his cell phone and punched in the number but couldn’t get a signal. As he looked around the room it wasn’t difficult to see why what with the thick concrete walls, not to mention the almost wall-to-wall boxes. 

He wrapped the bracelet back up and placed it along with the few other items he had looked at and stuffed the straw back inside. He picked up the boards and laid them along the top, then started walking through the narrow spaces between the stacks of boxes until he was in the corridor outside the musty room. He tried the phone once again with no luck and decided he would have to get above basement level for it to work.

He started walking up the stairs that led to the first floor, glancing at the phone every few seconds until finally he had a strong enough signal. He punched in the number and spoke to the airman who directed his call to Jack’s office.

“Daniel?” Jack was surprised to hear from his friend actually. But he had a sneaking suspicion it wasn’t because of his off-handed order.

“Jack. I’m here at the museum. We’ve got a little problem.”

“Yeah, so is that supposed to surprise me or something, Daniel?” Jack teased.

“Seriously, Jack. One of the artifacts in the crate…it’s Goa’uld.”

There was silence for a moment and then Jack’s voice. “Crap! You’re sure?”

“Yes Jack, I’m sure. I’ve only found one so far but I haven’t looked at very many. What do you want me to do?”

“Sit tight. Seal it up. I’ll have someone there in a couple hours to bring the crate and you back here to the base.”

“Okay.”

“Daniel?” 

“Yeah.”

“You doin’ all right?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Well, listen, call me when your plane gets in the air, all right?”

“Sure.”

Jack heard the line disconnect and he stared at the phone as he put it back on the hook. His friend was far from all right. That much he was sure about. When Daniel started talking in one word syllables, it was time to worry.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

General Jack O’Neill glanced out of his office as he heard voices coming from the adjoining briefing room. He had summoned Carter and Teal’c after he’d made arrangements for two SF’s stationed at McGuire Air Force base, the closest base to New York City, to take care of retrieving the crate and Daniel and bring them both back to the SGC. 

He walked into the briefing room just as his former teammates were taking their seats.

“Sir.”

“O’Neill.”

“I heard from Daniel. He should be here in a few hours.” Jack informed them as he took a seat.

Sam glanced worriedly at Teal’c and back to Jack. “Is he all right, sir?” The simple fact that Daniel was returning to the base so much earlier than expected had sent up red flags.

Well, that was the sixty-four thousand dollar question now wasn’t it? Jack thought. “He called from the museum. It seems he found a Goa’uld something or other in the box of stuff that belonged to his parents.”

Sam’s eyes widened and she noticed Teal’c sat up straighter as he gave Jack his full attention.

“What did he find, sir?” Sam asked.

“He didn’t say. Just that whatever it was had Goa’uld symbols on it and that there could be more. He hadn’t had a chance to look through it all yet. I’ve made arrangements for the crate and Daniel to be brought back home pronto.” He glanced down at his watch. “They should be here by 1900.”

“Not to change the subject, sir, but Nodal sent us another message right before I came up here. He’s requesting that SG-1 be the team to go to their planet tomorrow. He said their city is on the verge of widespread panic and he feels that some familiar faces would be less alarming to their people.”

Jack looked down at the briefing room table, studying the lines of color in the deep wood as he thought of all the reasons he didn’t even want to hear of Vyus again versus ‘the right thing to do’. Being around Daniel had definitely rubbed off on all of them. He suppressed a grin and looked up at Sam.

“Tell them SG-1 will go. Since Daniel will be back sooner that I’d expected, I see no reason for your team not to go.” No reason that wasn’t prejudiced with suspicion, that is. 

Jack would probably have to physically remove Daniel from the base, though, if he stood a chance of getting any sleep tonight. He knew that if Daniel stayed on the base with that box of his parents’ stuff there was no way he’d be able to keep him from being up all night long. Unless… “Teal’c when the crate gets here I want it locked up in storage room 28 C until you return from your mission tomorrow. I’ll let you know when they arrive.”

He didn’t want to have to do it, but it was absolutely the only way to ensure that Daniel didn’t stay up all night working. He really wanted to have a chance to talk to Daniel before he dove in to studying the contents of the crate to see how he really was handling all of this. 

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Once Daniel had located the curator, Miss Robertson, who had then located Todd, the crate was re-sealed and now sitting in her office waiting to be picked up. He stepped out of her office and stood looking around the huge room wondering how he was going to kill another hour. He started walking along the wall that was covered with paintings from many different cultures. They were the same ones he’d looked at when he first arrived. 

He walked past the now familiar artwork down a long corridor and studied the artifacts encased behind glass panels set in in the walls. The recessed lighting made the items come alive. He stopped to look at a Papyrus scroll thousands of years old. Further down there was a scarab dating back to an early dynasty from Thebes. What was it about studying the past that fascinated him so? 

Of course, the most obvious reason being that he was born to two archaeologists. But aside from that he often suspected part of the reason was that it was safer to look back and study remnants of past civilizations, rather than look to the future. The future was uncertain, even ominous at times. The past was dead, finished, couldn’t be altered. But when he got close enough to it, it too, came alive.

As he absently wandered through the museum’s first floor he lost himself in the colors and textures and history that surrounded him. He finally came upon a wide doorway and stopped, not moving as he stared into the expansive room. The doorway was framed in carved hieroglyphics and he took a tentative step forward and ran his fingers along the familiar symbols.

He slowly walked into the room looking around. It was almost as if he’d stepped back in time. He could see a statue of Hatshepsut. A coffin from a Middle Kingdom official. He was mesmerized by the vast amount of history filling the room. He walked over to the other side of the room as a statue caught his eye. He adjusted his glasses and read the card beside it. A ‘statuette of the god Anubis’. He felt a shiver run down his spine. It was the oddest feeling to know that he was the only person in this entire museum that had actually met Anubis.

He wandered around through the exhibits finally glancing at his watch willing the time to go faster. As he turned the corner to enter an adjoining room he froze, staring at the tall pillars of the tomb and he finally blinked as his eyes began to water. He drew his clenched hand to his stomach to ward off the feeling that he’d just been kicked in the stomach.

He walked closer and stopped a few feet from the huge stone structure. Faint images of his parents’ excitement when the tomb was discovered, the long wait for the many artifacts to be packed up to ship to America came flowing back to him. He remembered only a small part of the long flight that day since he’d fallen asleep in his mother’s arms soon after take-off. He could still recall the sight of the huge stones falling and his parents screaming as they were crushed beneath the heavy weight. 

He lowered his head and closed his eyes wishing he’d never gotten trapped in that virtual reality machine on the Gamekeepers planet. If that machine hadn’t made him re-live that horrible day the memories might not be so clear in his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut as he attempted to force the burning in his eyes to retreat. 

“Dr. Jackson?” Julia Robertson had been on her way to a late lunch when two very official looking men had arrived to remove the crate so she had went in search of Dr. Jackson. For some reason she thought he might be in here. She wasn’t sure if the man had heard her or not so she took a step closer and repeated his name.

A voice suddenly broke through his silent grief. Daniel jerked his head up when he heard his name and kept his back to her as she informed him of the arrival of those who were to retrieve the crate. He swallowed several times clearing the lump from his throat and thanked her telling her he’d be there shortly and after hearing her footsteps fade away, only then did he wipe the wetness from his eyes.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

“You have a call General.”

Jack looked up from the paper he was in the process of signing and gave the airman a glaring look. He thought about General Hammond and General Jacob Carter. No wonder so many Generals lost their hair. If his didn’t fall out on its own before the month was out, he’d probably end up tearing it out himself.

“Thank you. Airman.” he said brusquely. The door closed and Jack picked up the phone. “Hello, General O’Neill here.”

“Jack?” a quiet voice came through the line.

Jack laid the pen down and sat up straighter as he held the phone closer to his ear. 

“Daniel? Is that you?”

An uncomfortable pause made Jack think maybe the connection had been lost but then he heard the voice again.

“Yeah.”

“Daniel, are you okay? Where are you anyway?”

“On the plane. We should be landing in about a half hour. I just wanted to let you know.”

“Okay.” Jack sensed something going on with his friend but it was hard to tell over the cell phone. “So. You’re all right then?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’d better let you go. I’ll see you in a little while.”

“Yeah. Come to my office as soon as you get here. I need to talk to you.”

“What about?”

“It can wait. I’ll see you when you get here.”

Daniel pressed the button to end the call and held the phone in his hand turning it over and over until his eyes once more locked onto the crate sitting across from him. The Air Force had provided what amounted to a fancy cargo plane. More open space than there was seats. But at least it had a lavatory and bottled water. 

Now that the crate was out of the dim dusty basement he could see it much clearer. Even from where he sat he could make out his fathers’ handwriting on the shipping label. He slipped the cell phone back into his pocket and leaned forward clenching his hands in front of him.

He thought over the events of the last few hours, part of him wishing the crate had never been found and another part of him wanting nothing more than to rush over and tear the lid off and get his hands on the contents.

He brought his clenched hands up to his forehead as he lowered his head. Suddenly he felt exhausted, as if the heavy burden surrounding his parents’ deaths was once again weighing heavily upon his shoulders.

He wondered what Jack wanted to talk to him about when he got back to the base. The last thing he wanted right now was to talk to anyone about this day. His feelings were a jumbled mess and part of him just wanted to forget about it and go on. But he already knew it was too late for that. 

The scab had been ripped off the wound and he would have to find a way to make the pain stop once again. Trouble was, sometimes when you opened the door to a painful memory, other ones just as painful had a way of slipping through also. 

Too many painful memories. His parents, his wife Sha’re, his friend Robert Rothman and more recently Janet Frasier. Sometimes he wished he had chosen a different path. One that would have taken him on one archaeological dig after another, with no need to put down roots. No need to get close to anyone. No need to have his heart ripped out time and time again as he watched those close to him die.

He slammed his fist into the seat cushion beside him, thankful that the two SF’s hadn’t come along, since Jack was going to have personnel from the SGC waiting when the plane landed to get the crate back to the base. 

How was he going to stop this feeling inside him that felt like he was standing on top of a shaking mountain knowing he was going to fall and knowing there was not a single thing he could do about it. 

Shaking his head disgusted with his lack of control over his emotions he unbuckled the seatbelt and stood up, stretching his legs. He walked over to get a bottle of water and as he unscrewed the cap and took a drink his eyes drifted back over to the crate.

He turned away from it angrily and walked to the other end of the small space as far away from it as he could get and sat down, his back to the object of his latest anguish. 

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Jack walked down the long corridor toward Daniel’s office. His friend had been unusually quiet when he arrived on the base and when he’d been told the crate would be locked up until after SG-1’s mission to Vyus, he’d walked out of Jack’s office without saying a word.

He glanced down at his watch. It was late. Hopefully Daniel had already gone home. But the closer he got to Daniel’s office door the more apprehensive he became. He wasn’t sure if Daniel was still upset with him for the not letting him work on the crate tonight or if something more was going on with him. Probably a lot of both.

Jack stopped at the closed door and listened. Not hearing a sound he turned the knob and peered inside seeing only a small desk lamp casting the room in shadows. He opened the door enough to let some of the light from the corridor shine into the room and he saw someone lying on the small worn couch in the far corner. 

When he quietly stepped closer he could see that it was indeed Daniel lying curled on his side, his arms wrapped around himself, fast asleep. Jack stood watching him for a second and seeing the small throw folded up on the top of the couch he picked it up and carefully draped it over him.

He turned to leave and heard the rustle of the leather couch. A muffled sound came from the sleeping man and Jack froze. He turned his head and he could see Daniel shifting positions and mumbling in his sleep.

Not wanting to risk waking him Jack carefully walked over to the door and taking one last look back he stepped out and closed the door quietly behind him. It wasn’t as good as him sleeping in his own bed, but at least Daniel would get some sleep tonight. 

He suspected today had been a lot more stressful on Daniel than he’d let on. Of all the things to turn up out of the blue, another grim reminder of his parents’ tragic deaths. It seemed like Daniel had just recovered from his near breakdown after Janet Frasier died right before his eyes several months ago. 

And if that wasn’t enough on top of that the SGC being shut down for nearly three months with Hammond being replaced by Dr. Weir while he was frozen in that chamber in Antarctica, it all added up to more than most people could handle. Daniel really didn’t need this right now. 

When Jack had finally returned to the SGC with his promotion to General and had been given the choice of either himself taking over the SGC or someone picked out of a hat by the president, there really had been no choice. Of course that also meant giving up command of SG-1, which had also been a blow to his team.

He slid his security card through for the elevator and waited. He only hoped he had it within himself to make wise decisions concerning the teams under his command like General Hammond had done. The mission SG-1 was scheduled to go on in less than eight hours had him concerned though. It always did whenever a team returned to a planet in which they’d had a bad experience. 

The elevator doors slid open and he was surprised to see Teal’c standing there. Since he’d finally gotten an apartmant off the base it was unusual to see him here at this late hour.

“O’Neill.”

“Teal’c. Whatcha doin here so late. Tired of your new place already?” Jack teased.

“On the contrary, O’Neill. The new living quarters are most satisfactory. I had hoped to speak with you concerning tomorrow’s mission.”

Jack glanced at his watch and held it up to show Teal’c as he stepped into the elevator. “You mean today’s mission don’t you?” He pushed the button to take him to the mid-level checkpoint. “So, what about it?”

“Daniel Jackson seemed greatly disturbed by the events of today.” Teal’c understood Jack’s reasons for locking up the crate. He was well aware of his young friend’s propensity toward working through the night when certain projects captured his attention. But he sensed he was more upset than his commanding officer realized.

When he informed Daniel on their return to the base that O’Neill had ordered the crate to be secured in one of the locked storage rooms until their upcoming mission was completed, Teal’c had seen the expression on Daniel’s face before he’d turned away, and it greatly disturbed him.

Daniel was always there for Teal’c whenever he had questions or simply was in need of company. Teal’c didn’t have many close friends on the base even after all these years. There were still some who still saw him as ‘the alien’. 

It was ironic that one of his closest friends was the one person to whom he himself had caused so much pain. Which is why he took it as his personal responsibility to do whatever he could to protect him.

Jack stared at the closed doors as the elevator ascended. Evidently he wasn’t the only one concerned about the impact this ghost from the past was having on Daniel. But he honestly felt like it might be for the best for Daniel to get away from the base and that crate for little while. Although Vyus wouldn’t have been anywhere near his list of planets to revisit, it was all he had at the moment. He glanced over at Teal’c who was also staring at the steel doors.

“I’ll sit him down and talk to him after the Vyus thing is taken care of.” Jack assured him.

“Very well, O’Neill. And I shall watch over him on this mission.”

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

General Jack O’Neill stood in the control room next to Lieutenant Colonel Sam Carter as they both watched the medical team enter the gateroom followed by Teal’c and a moment later by Daniel. Everyone was dressed in full-gear including Haz-mat suits.

As Daniel entered, Sam looked over at Jack who was staring intently at those gathered below making last minute preparations for the mission. She hadn’t seen Daniel since he’d returned from New York except for a moment as she passed him coming out of Jack’s office the evening before. The pained expression he’d quickly tried to hide when he saw her had been on her mind ever since. 

She was just about to voice her concerns when Jack spoke up, never taking his eyes off the team below. “He’ll be fine, Carter.”

She stared at him a moment before tearing her eyes away.

“Yes, sir.” she told him, somewhat startled by his insight into her concerns. “I’d better get down there.” She slipped the hooded part of her protective suit over her head as she walked out the room.

Jack turned his head smiling and nodded at her, then told Sergeant Davis to dial it up.

~^~^~^~

They exited the wormhole on P2Q-463 into the same large room as they had on their previous visit six years ago, except this time instead of seeing dusty tarps covering a large number of boxes and other items, the room was now cleared and cleaned. A couple of benches had been placed along one wall and a few chairs lined the other. 

Sam glanced at her team. “It’s sure a lot nicer that the last time we were her, isn’t it Daniel?” She said as she pulled out her sensor and started taking readings. 

Daniel looked all around the room but couldn’t recall ever being here.

Sam noticed the puzzled look on her teammates’ face and took a step closer. “You don’t remember coming here, do you?” she asked gently.

“No, not really. It feels familiar in a way but it must be one of those memories that haven’t come back yet. But maybe it’s just so much nicer than it was before and that’s the reason I don’t recognize it.” He grinned as he tried to make light of it.

Most of his memories had returned since he had re-taken human form after being kicked out of the Ascended realm, but there were still a few memories missing. The last thing he wanted though was pity. It was something that just was and he’d rather not dwell on it.

Suddenly a familiar face stepped out of an adjoining room and walked over to greet them. Familiar to all but Daniel that is.

“Nodal.” Sam smiled as he walked over to them and shook his out-stretched hand.

“Lieutenant Colonel Carter, isn’t it?” Nodal asked, unsure if he’d remembered the title she said she went by now. He stared at the outfits they were wearing with alarm.

“Yes. And you remember Doctor Daniel Jackson and Teal’c?”

“Yes, yes, of course.” he said as he shook their hands as well. “The other leader of SG-1, O’Neill, is now in charge of your entire facility. Is that correct?” he asked her.

“Yes that’s right.” She noticed him looking at them oddly. “Don’t be alarmed at our clothing. They’re to protect us from whatever could be causing the sickness in your people.”

Sam turned to the medical team standing behind her and introduced them. “Nodal, our medical team would like to take some blood and tissue samples to take back to the SGC.” With the formalities out of the way, they all followed Nodal up the long stairway to meet with the council members at their medical facility.

Sam looked down at the readings the sensor had taken and decided the atmosphere was safe so she took her hood off and Daniel and Teal’c did the same. The medical teams’ protective gear would stay in place until they returned to the SGC and they went a thorough decontamination since they would be in direct contact with the sick patients.

Once at the medical building they were led into a large room where several members of the city council awaited them.

Nodal introduced all the travelers from Earth to a mostly cold, emotionless group of faces. Ke'ra, who was now one of the council members, came forward and shook hands with the medical personnel and Sam, welcoming them. Teal’c bowed in greeting her and then she stepped over to face Daniel.

“Hello, Doctor Daniel Jackson,” she said as she held out her hand to him. 

Daniel smiled as he switched the Haz-mat hood to his left hand. “Uh, yes. It’s nice to meet you, Ke'ra,” he said as he took her outstretched hand and shook it politely. “But just call me Daniel.”

After he let go of her hand he glanced around the room not realizing that she continued to stare at him. 

She could hardly believe he was actually standing here in front of her. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and feel his lips on hers just as she remembered from before, but she couldn’t let them or anyone else know she had all of her memory back. Her deception to the visitors from Earth must now begin.

She smiled intently at him and then noticing the others were watching her she looked away and stepped back. After introductions were repeated the medical team was led away to the isolation section to see the patients who had been showing symptoms. Their job was to take blood and tissue samples where indicated. They were also equipped to take portable CAT scans and when they were finished they would return to the SGC where the doctor and scientists there would study them to see if they could come up with a cause of the sudden illness.

Sam turned to Teal’c and Daniel. “You two can take a look around if you want. I’m going to stick around here until the medical team is finished.”

Ke'ra suddenly spoke up. “Daniel, When your people came through the Stargate years ago they decided to clean out the room after seeing what the round circle did and some very old items were found in the boxes. Several boxes of books and many more items were found that had been packed away for a very long time. Would you like to take a look at them?”

Seeing the eagerness in Ke'ras’ face, Daniel glanced at Sam before looking back at Ke'ra and smiled politely. “Sure. You don’t need me for anything right now do you Sam?”

She looked from Daniel to Ke'ra with uncertainty, but knowing that she had nothing to base her distrust on told him she would give him a radio call when she needed him back. 

Ke'ra was thrilled when Daniel on his own told the tall dark one to go with the others. She tried to mask her excitement. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to become suspicious of her. She was tempted to walk over and loop her arm in Daniel’s and lead him to the office but instead motioned shyly for him to follow her. 

As they walked through the hallway and down the stairs she couldn’t help but yearn to take his hand and feel the strength and warmth in it once again. No one was aware that Ke'ra had been secretly experimenting for the past year on a cure for her memory loss. 

She had finally become suspicious over time when she realized she was the only one who seemed to be suffering from a loss of memory and no one would explain to her why except to say that there had been an accidental release of a chemical that had caused widespread loss of memory and that she was the only one not cured. 

She had begun working in secret to try to find a cure for herself until she had finally hit upon the right combination. She had regained all of her memories a little over four months ago but the one memory she couldn’t get out of her mind was that of Daniel Jackson. 

With the memories fresh in her mind, the short time they’d spent together on Earth six years ago felt to her like it had happened yesterday. The feel of his strong arms around her and the tenderness of his kisses when she had been on his planet had only grown stronger as the days and weeks went by. 

When a few of the people she’d injected with a chemical she’d been working on a few months ago had died and a few others had grown ill, the council had been quick to panic. She’d been prepared to go through the Stargate to another planet for fear her deception would be discovered, but fortunately for her they had not been even the slightest bit suspicious that she had anything to do with it.

Ironically it wasn’t even her who had mentioned contacting the people from Earth who had helped them before. It was Nodal who first mentioned the possibility of asking them for assistance. But once Nodal had planted the seed in the council’s mind she had done all she could to encourage them. She was ecstatic when Nodal contacted Earth and they agreed to come to Vyus, although she’d been forced to keep her feelings well hidden. 

Now that SG-1 were on her planet she could convince Daniel to either stay or take her home with him as she was certain that the feelings he’d had for her then would reawaken once they could be alone together. She wanted him and she always got what she wanted.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Daniel followed Ke'ra down the long flight of stairs until they came to a large brightly lit room. He followed her inside and she motioned for him to wait there. Long tables covered one wall and the other walls were filled with books from floor to ceiling. 

He set the Haz-mat hood and gloves down on a nearby table and picked up a small statue that was sitting there. He glanced up at Ke'ra. She seemed nice enough but his mind was not at all into looking at artifacts, not on this world anyway. He had a crate full of artifacts waiting for him back at the SGC that he’d rather be working on right now if he’d been given the choice.

He set the statue down as his eyes traveled around the room. So many books. Normally he loved books. But his mind was not on reading or deciphering anything today. If he were honest with himself he’d have to admit he was a bit depressed. The crate turning up had brought a lot of feelings to the surface that he didn’t want to deal with right now. So the next best thing was to try and stuff them back where they belonged. 

He watched her as she searched through a stack of boxes. Even though he couldn’t remember actually meeting her when he was here before, something about her definitely felt familiar. He’d read the mission report from the last time SG-1 had visited P2Q-463. He knew she was once Linea, Destroyer of Worlds, but he couldn’t help but feel there was more to the mission than what was in the official report.

She was pleasant to the eye, he couldn’t deny that. Her hair was long and braided into one long braid that lay gently down her back. She looked over at him and smiled and he flashed an embarrassed grin and quickly turned away, stepping over to examine something else, anything else, on the table.

He almost wished he hadn’t insisted that Teal’c go ahead with Sam and the others instead of coming with him. He was feeling more uneasy by the minute and he had no idea why. 

It surely must be that the shock of having something that belonged to his parents dropped into his very unprepared lap, still had him reeling and had his emotions on edge. Being here definitely gave him feelings of deja’vu, but if there was more to the previous mission that was making him uneasy he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Ke'ra approached him with a box with some papers lying on top. “Would you like to sit over there?” she asked smiling as she pointed to a table a few feet away.

“Sure, why not?” he replied. He motioned for her to sit first and she put the box of obviously very old items down on the table and gracefully sat down. Daniel took the seat next to her.

She took out a scroll and unrolled it gently on the table sliding it toward him. “This was found a few years ago in the room that holds your gateway. Many of our people have tried to unlock the mystery, but have failed. You can see this drawing looks very much like your Stargate,” she told him as she pointed to the faded drawing.

Daniel looked at the brittle, yellowed paper. He studied it for a few minutes then felt her eyes watching him. He glanced up and saw her smiling at him. No wonder they couldn’t figure it out. It was one of the toughest root languages he had seen in quite a while. 

“I…uh…don’t think I can translate this without having my reference material.” he told her as he slid the scroll back to her. “I’m sorry.”

She continued to stare at him, which made him more and more uncomfortable. He raised his eyes to meet hers and he grinned politely feeling the redness grow on his face. He lowered his eyes quickly wishing he’d never agreed to help her.

“Have we met before, Daniel?” she asked. If she was to keep his suspicions from rising about her she had to throw him with questions that made it appear she still had no memory of him. The only memory of him she would be able to admit she had was right before she went back through the gate to Vyus after she’d taken the drug voluntarily to develop amnesia.

“Yes, we met briefly six years ago when our people came here to help your planet.” He neglected to tell her he only knew that from reading the mission report. He was reluctant to admit that he had no memory of ever meeting her. Which made him realize he didn’t remember the mission to Hadante where SG-1 first encountered Linea/Ke'ra, either. The holes in his memory made him feel vulnerable and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“The time of the memory loss. Yes.” her voice added sadly. “It seems I was not among those who were cured.” Her eyes glistened at the reminder.

Daniel looked at her and immediately regretted bringing up the memory thing to her. She stared down at her hands folded gently in her lap and he put his hand on her arm bringing her attention back to him.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…uh…Sorry,” he told her.

Her moist eyes lifted to meet his and she smiled sweetly at him then she leaned over and kissed him softly. Suddenly a flash of him kissing her before washed over him.

Before he could recover from the shock of her brief kiss Ke'ra was on her feet, leaning over him with his face held in her hands kissing him forcefully.

He hadn’t seen that one coming at all. He looked up at her feeling puzzled, guilty, and nervous. He withdrew his lips from hers and took both of her wrists in his hands and got to his feet as he pulled away from her.

“Ke'ra…. I don’t…I have to go.” he told her.

She stared intently at him, confusion and hurt written all over her face, and something more for just a fleeting moment. Something dark and threatening just beneath the surface.

“Daniel? Don’t you remember how we feel about each other?” she asked hopefully.

“No. See, I had my memory erased for about a year since that time you say we first met. I don’t remember this planet or you either. Or not much anyway. I‘m sorry.”

Ke'ra simply stared at him, wondering why he was deceiving her this way, and wondering what to do now that she had let him know that she had more memories of him than she’d wanted him to know. At least for now.

As Daniel looked at her, a picture of their brief encounter six years ago flashed in his mind. Images of the two of them in each other’s arms, the times they’d kissed and embraced in the VIP room she’d been assigned to, each seeking comfort and companionship, began flooding his mind. He backed up and heard the radio at his shoulder crackle as it came to life.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

“Teal’c, have you ever seen anything like this?” Sam asked as she stared through the thick glass separating them from the isolation room where several people were being quarantined.

“I have not. Yet this does appear to be similar to some illnesses found on Earth that I have read about.”

She thought for a moment. He had a point. This really wasn’t that unusual. What made this so different was the fact that it had killed two people, so far, and affected a half dozen more and they had no reason why. With so many affected you would think they must be related somehow. 

“Have you seen Daniel since he left with Ke'ra?” she inquired looking up at him.

“No, I have not. Would it not be wise to attempt to locate him?”

She grinned and keyed her radio. “Daniel, this is Sam. What is your location?”

Several seconds went by and she looked nervously at Teal’c and tried her radio again.

“Daniel, do you read me?”

Several more uneasy seconds ticked by until finally the radio came to life.

“Yeah Sam, I’m…uh still with Ke'ra. What do you need?”

“The medical team is just finishing up the preliminary samples. We’ll be leaving in about thirty minutes, over.”

She waited listening for a response, then she clicked her radio again.

“Daniel?”

“Yeah, okay… I’ll be there.”

Sam looked quizzically at Teal’c who mirrored her own expression. “Wonder what that was all about?” The spaces of time in Daniel’s brief conversation seemed odd.

“I believe I will take that look around now, with your permission?” Teal’c informed her with a grin.

She suddenly knew where he was probably going to end up on his little sightseeing jaunt. It seemed she wasn’t the only one a bit protective of their teammate.

“Sure, Teal’c. Just be back here in a half hour.”

**~ ~ ~ ~**

Ke'ra stared at Daniel feeling the panic growing at the thought of him leaving her. What was she going to do now? She was just lucky he hadn’t seemed to notice her comment about his prior feelings for her, because if he had he would know she had memories she wasn’t supposed to possess.

Daniel picked up the Haz-mat hood and gloves and started for the door as Ke'ra came toward him and gently laid her hand on his arm.

With tears in her eyes she said softly, “I’m so sorry, Daniel. It’s been… difficult since I lost my memory. Everyone else here seems to know someone they care about and that cares about them. Leyal told me stories about how she thought you cared deeply for me at one time. I was wrong to assume she was correct.” A sob escaped her throat and she turned away, her face hidden in her hands. “Will you forgive me, Daniel?” 

Daniel’s heart went out to her. He of all people knew exactly what it felt like to have your memories erased. The emptiness inside that nothing seemed to be able to fill. The frightening realization that you didn’t know anyone. The horror when you also realized you didn’t even know yourself. 

He lay the hood and gloves back down and stepped over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders and turning her around to face him. He placed one finger under her chin and lifted her face to see his eyes.

“Ke'ra. There’s nothing to forgive. I know how you feel, I do. Truth is I’m not sure myself how close we were…then. I had my memory erased over a year ago and although I have most of my memories back, there are still a few places and people and events that I still don’t remember.” 

He wiped away a tear from her cheek and took her face in his hands. "Ke'ra, you are a beautiful, intelligent woman. I can tell how much you're respected here. These people have put their trust and faith in you. That shows how much they care. Surely you realize that.”  


A smile finally replaced her sadness as she looked into his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.

“I’ve got to go. Sam and Teal’c will be waiting.” He let go and stepped back. “You’re going to be fine, you’ll see.” He picked up the hood and gloves and flashing her one last smile, he nodded and walked out.

She watched him leave as her heart began pounding wildly. She had to find a way to either get him to return or to get him to bring her to Earth.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

SG-1 sat around the briefing room table as Sam finished up her report on the progress or rather lack of it so far, in finding out what was happening to the people on Vyus.

“General, the simple fact is, even if the few scientists working on this can isolate what is causing the illness, it could take months possibly even years, to find a cure. If then. These people don’t have that long, sir,” she added.

“How many of them did you say are affected?” Jack asked.

“So far, three have died. One of those since we went back to the planet. Another five are showing symptoms and are being kept in quarantine in their medical facility, including Leyal, sir.” Sam replied.

Sam shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She had serious doubts that without the help of Janet whom they’d lost this year to a staff blast wound and the expertise of someone like Ke'ra, it was unlikely a cure would be found at all.

“I hate to say this sir, but do you think it would be possible to bring in Ke'ra to help on this? I know what you’re probably going to say, she ended up being the one behind the amnesia loss on the planet six years ago, but I have to admit, she’s given us no indication that she is anyone but Ke'ra.”

Jack scribbled on the notepad in front of him as he thought over what had been said. He looked over at Daniel who was sitting silently staring at his hands, folded on the table in front of him. He hadn’t said a word during the briefing and he suspected his mind was elsewhere. Like on the artifacts from the museum.

“Daniel, what was your impression of Ke'ra?” Jack asked him.

Sam and Teal’c turned to look at their teammate as Jack continued to stare at him.

“Daniel?” Jack asked somewhat louder this time.

Daniel’s head jerked up and he looked around at the faces watching him and he straightened up in his seat. “What?”

“Your impression of Ke'ra?” Jack asked again.

Daniel paused a moment thinking about the strange conversation they’d had in the basement room. She was confused perhaps, very lonely it seemed, but dangerous? She’d not given him any reason to think she was dangerous and apparently she still had no memory of being Linea.

He turned to Jack. “She seems harmless enough to me, Jack, but I wasn’t with her that long to tell you very much.”

Jack looked around at his former teammates. “I’ll take that into consideration. If the need arises that the people we have working on it here come up empty, we may see about bringing her back to the base, but only as a last resort. You’re dismissed.” 

Jack gathered the papers together in front of him and stood up watching Sam and Teal’c walk out. He turned to go to his office when he noticed Daniel was still sitting silently at the table, staring at the opposite side of the room. He studied him for a few seconds before turning back toward the table. 

He glanced down at his watch. Jack knew exactly what was on his friends’ mind.

“The crate should be in your office by now, Daniel.”

Daniel looked up surprised and confused until the realization came to him that Jack had arranged to have the crate taken out of the locked storage room and taken to his office while they were having their briefing.

A smile swept over his face and he brought his hand up to his lips as if to hide its appearance. He slowly stood up and started walking around the table stopping beside Jack, but keeping his eyes glued to the exit.

“Thanks Jack.”

Jack gave Daniel’s shoulder a pat and turned to go to his office.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Daniel hurriedly made his way to the elevator. He couldn’t believe how nervous he was. The closer he got to his office the more his heart pounded and his stomach churned uneasily. He finally reached his door and he slid the card through the security slot and opened it. There sitting on the opposite side of the room on the floor sat the crate with a crowbar on top and a folded up piece of paper.

He closed the door behind him and stepped over to it. So Jack had not let anyone else open it. He looked the crate over longingly but also with a feeling of trepidation. He ran his hand over the wooden edges then looked curiously at the folded paper and picked it up. He glanced back down at the crate then turned his attention to the paper in his hands unfolding it. Reading the words made a lump start to form in his throat. He glanced at the crate then read the words again.

Daniel,

Hope you don’t mind the crowbar.   
I thought you’d want to open it yourself.  
I’ll be around if you need anything. 

Jack 

He folded it up and slipped it into his shirt pocket as he fought to gain control of his emotions. 

He took the crowbar and slipping it in the same groove he’d seen Todd do at the museum, he pried it until the board popped loose and he kept at it until all the boards were off, laying them in a pile at his feet. The top of the crate lay open, beckoning him.

Pulling a chair close to it he took off the same layer of straw he’d removed the day before and lay it down beside the boards. He picked up one of the artifacts, unwrapping it and studying it in detail before putting it down on the table beside him on its canvas wrapping. 

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Ke'ra stood with her face against the glass partition separating those affected by the mysterious illness from the outside world. Nodal was sitting at Leyal’s bedside once again, in a mask, gown and gloves. She envied them their bond. She had hoped the bond between her and Daniel would have had a chance to grow, but he’d been on the planet such a short time, she hadn’t had a chance to spend much time with him. 

What would she do now? She had to find a way to bring Daniel back. Or…find a way to go to him. But how? 

Ke'ra watched as Nodal held his wife’s hand so gently in his. She’d seen how concerned the woman leader from earth had been for the health of Nodal’s wife. She had even mentioned that if the tests came back showing that whatever was affecting them was not contagious, they would consider bringing Leyal back to the SGC‘s infirmary.

She grinned at the thought of the scientists and doctors trying frantically to find the cause of the illness. They would find nothing. She had made sure of that. The drug she had created was virtually undetectable.

Right now she had to try and think of what to do now. She turned away from the window and walked toward her office. It had only been a few days and already she was missing Daniel terribly. 

She entered her room and closed the door, locking it behind her. Walking over to the nearest table, she stood staring around the room, then picked up a small statue turning it around in her hands. Then suddenly she threw it viciously agaist the mirror on the wall and watched it shatter.

**~^~^~^~^~^~^~**

Teal’c had not seen much of Daniel since the briefing, He was certain it was because he was busy looking through the crate of artifacts. He had promised Daniel that he would help him with the translation of the bracelet and any other artifacts he might need assistance with. He walked up to Daniel’s office door and knocked lightly. 

“Daniel Jackson. It is I, Teal’c. May I come in?”

A shuffling noise came from within the room and a low voice telling him to come in, and Teal’c opened the door and took a step inside. Daniel had his face turned away from him and he had tried but failed to hide the emotion in his voice even with the single word.

“I came to lend my assistance in translating, DanielJackson. Is this a good time?”

Daniel stood up with his back still to Teal’c and stepped over to the coffee maker filling his cup slowly as he cleared his throat. 

“Sure. Now is fine, Teal’c.” Daniel quickly wiped his face with his sleeve as he finished pouring the coffee. “Just…uh let me get some….paper, yeah, I need some more paper. Hold on a second.” Daniel fumbled around in the shelf and finally found some paper not on the shelf but in his desk drawer and he finally turned toward Teal’c, although he still didn’t make eye contact.

Teal’c stood at the end of the desk waiting for Daniel to gather whatever he seemed to suddenly need. His young friend was very strong and usually tried to hide his emotions from everyone, not wanting to appear weak. 

“Just uh…have a seat Teal’c. The bracelet is over there on the desk if you want to go ahead and take a look.”

Teal’c picked up the bracelet from the canvas it was lying on and studied the writing. It was most definitely Goa’uld.

“The closest I could get to a translation is ‘Ring or circle of thorns’, Daniel said as he brought his refilled coffee cup over to the desk and sat down. 

“So. What do you think, Teal’c?”

“You are correct. I believe it does say ‘circle of thorns’. “Teal’c said as he turned the bracelet around in his hand. It is most unusual. Where did you say this was found?”

“I assume it was found on the same dig as the rest of the items in the exhibit. In Cairo. I don’t know exactly where. What about those symbols?” Daniel leaned forward and pointed to a part of the bracelet he’d had the most trouble with. “These symbols look almost as if they are from a totally different culture.” 

Teal’c examined the bracelet closely and turned to Daniel. “These symbols do not appear to be Goa’uld.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too. If I was guessing I’d say they almost look like some of the symbols we found on Ernest’s planet.”

A knock at the now opened door got their attention as Sam walked in. 

“How’s the translations going?” she asked.

As Daniel and Teal’c informed her of what little they had discovered so far, Sam looked curiously at the symbols Daniel was referring to. “What would a Goa’uld bracelet be doing with symbols of the original four races on it?” she asked.

“I have no idea.” Daniel admittedly told her, ”but hopefully if there are any more Goa’uld artifacts in the crate they’ll help me figure it out.”

“Listen, I’m going to the commissary to get something to eat,” Sam said, “I’m starved. Can I get you two to come with me?” she asked. 

“I, too, am in need of sustenance.” Teal’c informed her as he rose from the desk. “Are you coming DanielJackson?”

“No, you two go ahead. I’m gonna to work on these awhile longer.” 

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Sam and Teal’c made their way down to the commissary still discussing the bracelet. She had hoped she could pry Daniel away for a little while but he wouldn’t leave the crate of artifacts until every last one was unwrapped and studied. Which was obviously why Jack had insisted it be locked up until after the mission to Vyus. He knew Daniel would do exactly that. She made a mental note to herself to take Daniel something to eat from the commissary.

She stepped into the brightly lit room and the low buzzing of conversations going on drifted around her. She chose a bowl of fresh fruit salad and a turkey sandwich and as she looked around she saw her CO, General O’Neill, sitting off by himself deep in concentration, reading some papers. She nudged Teal’c and he looked over at Jack and nodded as they made their way over to his table. 

“Paperwork, sir?” she asked teasingly.

He looked up and tilted his head to the side, “What was your first clue, Carter?”

“Do you mind if we join you?” Sam grinned and took her food items off the tray and sat the tray on the empty table beside her after Jack motioned for them to sit.

“Have you talked to Daniel?” Sam asked him. 

“Not since the briefing, Carter. Why?”

“No reason.” She’d been concerned about Daniel ever since she’d heard that a crate belonging to his parents had been found. The horrific manner in which his parents had died was not something he needed reminding of.

She would never forget when the Gamekeeper trapped the two of them in the virtual world he’d created at the museum where Daniel had witnessed his parents’ deaths. The look on his face when he realized where they were, and even worse his look of anguish when he’d seen the heavy cover stones fall and crush his mother and father over and over. Their screams had ripped her heart out. She couldn’t imagine what it had done to Daniel.

He had seemed somewhat distracted while they were on Vyus and she didn’t think it was because of Ke'ra either. 

She took another bite of her sandwich. “Teal’c and Daniel have found out some unusual things about the bracelet, sir,” she informed him.

Jack looked up from the papers he held in his hands. “Oh really? So what did it say?”

She looked at Teal’c and he gave her a nod, “DanielJackson believes it to be a token of a union between a man and a woman. The inscription…”

Suddenly the sounds of Klaxons blared through the corridor and they stared at each other. 

Jack was the first to speak, “There’s no one off world but SG-15 and they aren’t due back until tomorrow.” He stood up and started to move toward the door followed by Sam and Teal’c. They hurried to the elevator to take them the six floors down to the Gateroom.

As they neared the control room they could hear a familiar voice coming through a speaker. Sam exchanged concerned looks with Teal’c as they followed Jack up the stairway.

“It’s P2Q-463, sir.” Sergeant Davis informed him.

Jack stepped closer to the mike, “This is General Jack O’Neill. I’m afraid we have no news to tell you about the progress of our medical team on finding out the cause of the illness.”

“Yes I understand General,” Nodal told him. “I only wanted to tell you that… my wife, Leyal is dead.”

Sam’s eyes widened as she looked at Jack sadly. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yes,” Nodal’s voice returned through the speakers, “I am afraid for our people, General. I fear that more will die if a cure cannot be found soon.”

“I understand Nodal, but we’re doing everything we can.” Jack told him sympathetically.

“I do not believe you are, General.” Nodal told him.

Jack exchanged curious looks with Sam and spoke into the mike once again. “What more would can we, Nodal? Our scientists have been working on the problem around the clock since they returned?”

“You should have Ke'ra there to assist you.” Nodal told him.

Jack looked at Sam. “Well, what do you think? Would having her here really make that much difference in finding a cure?” he asked her.

“Yes, I believe it would, sir. You know that without Janet here we’re not going to make the kind of progress we normally would have.”

Jack leaned into the mike once more, “All right, Nodal. We’ll send someone through to bring her back here. Is Ke'ra there with you?”

“No, she isn’t. She does not know I have asked you this. I will talk to her and have her here within the hour. I’m sure she will be glad to help.”

“All right. We’ll have someone there in an hour. O’Neill out.”

“Thank you, General.”

Sam looked up at Jack, “Do you want SG-1 to go?”

Jack thought for a moment. “Just take Teal’c. I don’t want to pull Daniel away from what he’s doing right now. But get Ke'ra and get back here. I know you think that whatever this is isn’t contagious, but I’m not taking any chances.”

“Yes sir. We’ll get geared up.”

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Daniel took out another object wrapped in canvas and as he unwrapped it he glanced over at the table at the items he’d laid out. Mostly small items. He suspected they were all items connected in some way to the exhibit his parents were setting up when they died. Kind of like accessories in a way. Finishing touches that never got a chance to be put on display.

He turned the item in his hands around and studied what apparently was a ceremonial cup. Since the bracelet that Teal’c had helped translate had been a gift to a wife in a ceremony of joining together, this cup was most likely a marriage cup that the man and woman would both drink out of. 

His mind drifted as he thought of the marriage cup he had from when he and Sha’re were joined together in marriage. He and sat the cup down and took a deep breath.

He didn’t know what he’d expected when he opened the crate. But he hadn’t planned on the rush of emotions that attempted to drown him. He wanted to hold each item and never let it go. He wanted to feel the presence of his parents and at the same time he wanted to be finished with the artifacts and have them gone out of his sight as far away as possible. How sick was that? Dr. MacKenzie would have had a field day with that one if he were still around. 

Another sip of coffee and he was back at concentrating on the cup. It was made of a metal of some kind and although it was quite thick it was amazingly light. He took out the notepad and started to copy down the writings. Once that was done he laid the cup gently on the table on its canvas wrapping. It might be best if he went through the rest of the contents of the crate before he started translating the cup. He was almost certain he could decipher the language on it without Teal’c help this time so he laid the notepad down and pulled some more straw out of the crate and tossed it into the cardboard box he’d finally put there for that purpose and as he dug out the straw his fingers brushed by paper. He felt around under the straw and grasped the item and pulled out a large manila envelope.

He brushed off the powdery residue and held it in both hands, staring at it. The writing had faded over time but he could just make out the words “Personal” and “Jackson.” He stood up, stepped over to his desk and sat down bringing the desk lamp closer.

A multitude of possibilities ran through his mind of what could be inside. So with trembling fingers he unclasped the metal fasteners and pulled out a thick bunch of papers onto the desk. 

He could see that the top paper was evidently a listing of all the artifacts in the crate with corresponding numbers. He’d expected there would be something like that somewhere in the crate so no surprise there. He glanced over the items briefly and set it aside for later.

Several papers were handwritten descriptions and background information on the artifacts along with detailed diagrams of where and how each item was supposed to be incorporated into the exhibit. He looked over at the artifacts laid out on the table. So he was right. The items had been meant to be part of the exhibit. 

He laid those papers aside and picked up a list of sights to see around New York, or rather New York City thirty years ago. A few of them had been circled and the name Danny scribbled beside them. A smile warmed his face, as he remembered the three of them going to see the Statue of Liberty. He could faintly remember the ride on the ferry from the pier over to the small island. The closer their small boat came to the immense statue the more mesmerized he’d become.

The next folded paper was a letter. An invitation actually, for Drs. Melburn and Claire Jackson to participate in an archeological dig when they finished up the exhibit. He looked closer at the fading ink and couldn’t make out the location. 

His parents were always being asked to go on digs all over the world. Although as a child he was unaware of the successful reputation of his parents, he still felt pride well up inside him at the thought of how fortunate he had been to have had them as parents, even it was only for a short eight years.

He looked through some more papers. Sketches of how the exhibit was to be set up and such. In between the papers was a small thin journal. The front was plain and words that had been written on the front had long since faded. He opened the cover and stared at the writing along the top of the page. It said, Claire Jackson.

His mother’s journal. His hands shook as he held it in his hands and suddenly the air in his office felt too stuffy so held the journal to his chest and headed out the door. Unsure of his destination, his only thoughts were of needing out of the depths of the mountain so he could breathe.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Jack strode out of his office. Carter and Teal’c were off to Vyus and they wouldn’t need a de-briefing when they returned since it was a simple in and out mission. Two other teams wouldn’t be due to check in until much later in the day so he exited the elevator on level 18 and headed down the long corridor toward Daniel‘s office.

He hadn’t had a chance to check in on Daniel since, well, he hadn’t actually had a chance to speak to him at all except on the phone or passing him in the corridor for days. But Sam and Teal’c had, and apparently he was doing alright since neither one of them had expressed any concerns. Still he would feel better if he saw for himself that he was okay. 

This had been a difficult year for Daniel. Not like every other year wasn’t, but he’d been faced with several major tragedies that for awhile had had them worried if he was going to be able to get through it. 

When Daniel and Bill Lee were kidnapped and tortured, they’d both endured more than most people could withstand without going off the deep end. But having it happen on the heels of having a dozen people downloaded into your brain was a bit much. 

The events of the past several months had seemed to, at times, taken the wind out of Daniel’s sails. Watching his friend and personal physician of almost seven years, Janet Frasier, die right in front of him from a staff blast had been a devastating blow. Then to have the SGC shut down for months, General Hammond replaced and himself frozen for months in that chamber in Antarctica, had been nearly too much for his friend to bear. There was a time or two where he really wondered if Daniel was even going to stay at the SGC after all that had happened. But thanks to his resiliency and strong-willed determination, he stuck it out until things smoothed out somewhat.

He came up to Daniel’s door and seeing it was closed he knocked lightly but heard no answer. He tried the knob and finding it unlocked he slowly opened it and peered inside. He was surprised to find the room was empty. He opened the door the rest of the way and walked over to the display of artifacts lying on the table. It looked like he had been busy.

His eyes were drawn to the desk where a large envelope lay. He picked it up and made out the words ‘Jackson’ and ‘Personal’ plus several papers lying on the desk that evidently had been inside. 

Jack looked around the room. He had a bad feeling about this. The possibilities of things Daniel’s parents could have had in the envelope, ran through his mind. All of them made his stomach churn. 

He had to find Daniel. The first thing he did was make a call to the main checkpoint on the surface to see if Daniel had left the base and to tell them to detain him and call him if he did try to leave the mountain.

With that done he put his hands on his hips, and tried to think of where Daniel might have gone.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

The elevator opened and Daniel stepped out onto the top of Cheyenne Mountain. The light that hit him was a sharp contrast to the gray, gloomy artificial lighting below ground. The sun would be starting to set soon though as he could see in the distance the orange and red hues streaked through the sky. 

His eyes finally adjusted and he saw the path, well worn over the years by others who took sanctuary here. He gripped the journal tighter and made his way through the clearing until he came to a broken log that had been left unbothered. A place someone could sit and look at the stars, or for whatever reason brought a wandering soul up here seeking solitude.

He sat down on the log and drew his knees together and held the journal tightly. He finally looked down and opened it, flipped to the first page and started to read. 

  


Page one:

_  
_

Mel says we’ll be finished with this dig a bit sooner than expected so the workers are having to rush to get the artifacts crated up to ship to New York. 

I can’t believe they asked us to set up an exhibit there. I’m so excited. And Daniel has been looking at the list Jake got for us, circling all the places he wants to see while we’re there. 

I’m torn between wanting to stay on in the states after the exhibit is finished and putting Daniel in a real school for awhile or going on the dig my father asked us to join him on.

I have much thinking to do before I discuss this with Melburn.

  


Page two:

_  
_

It’s been such a hectic week. The large heavy stones were shipped to America weeks ago and just this afternoon the workers have uncovered yet another hidden cavern.

It is small. Much smaller than the others found at this site but we are going to explore it first thing tomorrow morning after the workers shore up a weak wall inside. I must admit I am looking forward to getting away from the heat and the work for a while. I’ve not been feeling well for the past several weeks. I’ve probably picked up something from one of the many workers who come through every day. I’m sure it will pass.

  


Page three:

_  
_

The cavern was wonderful. We found quite a few artifacts that evidently belonged to the king who had the small temple-like structure built. Some of the items have writing on them that I have never seen before. There’s no time to try to decipher them now. 

There is still much to do. We have only two days to break camp and pack up our few remaining personal belongings we have yet to send on ahead. I am still feeling under the weather. Mel insisted I rest today while he went into the nearby village to make arrangements for our transportation to the city day after tomorrow.

Page four:

__

The workers are getting ready to pack up the last crate. Our truck broke down yesterday so we will have to get a ride into the city with one of the few workers who owns a big enough truck to hold the final crate.

I’ve not told Mel but I’m wondering if I might possibly be pregnant. This feels so similar to how I felt when I was carrying our sweet Daniel. If it’s true then it’s still very early yet. Better not to say anything for a while. Not until I’m sure. 

I can’t help but think about the impact having another child would have on all of our lives. It hasn’t been easy raising a child constantly on the move. Living in tents, sleeping on cots, having only sand, tombs and temples as his playground. Although Daniel is exceptionaly bright, I can’t help but think that we need to consider staying on in the states after this exhibit is finished. Daniel just turned eight and he needs to be in a proper school and be with other children his age. I have my doubts that trying to raise two children under these sparse conditions would be possible. I have much to think about. This may be the last entry I make since I will most likely have to pack this journal in the crate of artifacts. 

Oh, I mentioned to Daniel the possibility that he might get to go to a real school with real teachers and other children his age. He told me that I was his teacher and that I was the best teacher in the world so he didn’t need to go to school. I laughed and hugged him and told him he was the best student any teacher could ever hope to have. 

I am so blessed to have Daniel in my life. He’s such a special boy. And I don’t just mean the fact that at eight he can already speak four languages. I’m talking about his heart. Daniel has a heart of gold. I’ve never seen such compassion and empathy from such a young child. As a matter of fact I rarely see these traits in most adults. I’ve always known he was special. I knew from the moment his eyes met mine after giving birth and he looked deep within my soul and grabbed my heart and he’s never let go.

As soon as we are finished with the exhibit I need to set down with Melburn and discuss what we’re going to do next. Hopefully by that time I will know if I am carrying another child and we can make some decisions.

**~ ~ ~ ~**

Daniel looked at the next page, which was blank and watched a drop of water fall on the paper. He stared at the blank page as more drops fell and then realized the tears were his.

He took off his glasses wiped his eyes on his sleeve. It only slowed the tears temporarily as more and more of them rushed to the surface. His breath caught in his throat as his mother’s words continued to stab at his heart.

Was it possible that not only his mother and father were killed underneath those coverstones, but also a sister or brother?

He flipped through the remaining blank pages and a photo fell out. He picked it up and studied it.

It was a black and white photograph taken inside an old building of some kind. One entire wall was covered in hieroglyphs and the man standing facing the wall was brushing away the dirt and grime from the carved symbols. He recognized the man as his father.

About six feet away, lying on a blanket was a small blonde boy fast asleep curled up on his side with one arm wrapped around himself and the other hand tucked onder his chin. He stared at the picture of himself and his father and he was filled with such a sense of loss at how much he missed his parents that it ached deep inside.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

The doors opened and Jack looked around. If Daniel had come up here he wouldn’t be sitting here by the elevator doors that’s for sure. If he felt the need to get away from his office to go someplace private that badly, he most likely wouldn’t want to be found. Not that he was going to let that stop him from finding him and making sure he was all right.

He started down the worn path and it wasn’t long before he heard a muffled sound up ahead. It was times like this that his Special Ops training came in handy. As soon as he stepped past the thick trees he saw him. Daniel was sitting on a log, one arm wrapped around his middle and the other holding his glasses dangling by his fingertips, his head bowed low.

Jack didn’t know what had been in that envelope but it was evidently something that had packed an emotional punch. He could have slipped up on Daniel unaware but somehow he didn’t think that was such a good idea so he backed up several steps and then purposefully stepped on some branches that cracked and called Daniel’s name as he made his way through the trees.

Jack saw the quick swipe of Daniel’s hand across his face as he put his glasses back on and cleared his throat, glancing around. He wasn’t sure but Jack thought Daniel looked somewhat relieved that it was him who had found him.

“Hey Daniel.”

“Jack.”

Jack looked out over the sunset beginning to cast a glow over the mountain. “Nice up here tonight.”

“Yeah.”

“Mind if I sit?”

“No.”

Jack lowered himself to the log next to Daniel glancing at his face.

“I went by your office. You weren’t there.”

“No.”

“Thought you might be up here.”

“Am I that predictable?”

“No, I just know where you like to go to be alone.”

“So why are you here then?”

“Because sometimes when you want to be alone it’s not what you really need.”

“And just what is it I really need, Jack?”

“Well, right now I think you need a friend.”

Daniel started to speak but the lump in his throat prevented it. He took a deep breath and tried to swallow then glanced at Jack. He could see even in the darkening of the sky the concern in his eyes. Daniel smiled and looked down at his hands gripped in front of him and finally found his voice. “You got somebody in mind?”

Jack nudged Daniel’s elbow with his and grinned.

Daniel clutched the journal tighter, took a deep breath then handed it to Jack.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Sam dialed the DHD and as she sent the signal she glanced at Ke'ra who was staring at the open wormhole. 

Ke'ra glanced back at her and smiled. “You’ve been through these so many times. I must seem foolish and naïve to you. It’s just so incredible to me.”

Sam stepped beside her. “So, you’ve not been through the Stargate since we were here six years ago?” she asked curiously.

“No. Where would I go? This place is all I remember.” Ke'ra told her as sincerely as possible hoping she believed her. This kind of conversation was exactly what she needed to keep their fear of her to a minimum. That was the only way she was going to be able to move at all freely on their planet. She had to find Daniel as soon as time would allow. She had to convince him that her feelings for him were real. Only then would he feel free enough to make his feelings for her known once again. 

A hand on Ke'ra’s arm brought her back to reality as Sam asked, “Ready?”

As soon as they were back through the gate at the SGC Sam turned to Ke'ra, “We’ll have to go to the infirmary first. We’re required to have a medical exam when we return to our planet. So, just follow me.”

Sam looked around for General O’Neill but made eye contact with Sergeant Davis and he opened the mike informing her, “General O’Neill should be here shortly.”

She nodded and led Ke'ra to the infirmary.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Jack walked Daniel to the VIP room he still had at his disposal on the base and watched him as he entered and closed the door. Jack’s suggestion that Daniel go home and get away from his office for awhile had been met with iron-clad resistance, but his alternative to that of lying down in the VIP room a few hours was accepted, albeit reluctantly.

He suspected Daniel had slept very little since receiving the letter from the museum and he could see the toll the stress of the past few days was having on him. He made his way to the infirmary where he hoped Carter and Teal’c were still getting their post mission check-ups and he was correct. He saw Teal’c come out the infirmary doors as soon as he turned the corner.

“Teal’c.”

Teal’c turned at the sound of his name. “O’Neill.”

“You got back all right?”

“Indeed we did. Colonel Carter and Ke'ra are still in the infirmary if you wish to speak to them.”

“Thanks Teal’c.”

Jack walked into the room and saw Sam standing beside a gurney where Doctor Warner was examining Ke'ra. Sam looked over and he saw her tell Ke'ra something and she made her way over to the doorway where he stood. 

“Carter.”

“Sir.”

“So, you all got back I see,” Jack said as he nodded over at Dr. Warner and his patient. “You know it still gives me the creeps having her here.”

“I know, sir, but I have to admit, she hasn’t said or done anything to make me suspicious of her. Not yet anyway.”

“Just… keep an eye on her, Carter.”

“Yes sir. I was thinking about taking her to the commissary before we head over to the lab.”

“Yeah. Good idea. Just…watch her.”

“Of course, sir.” She started to turn around but stopped. “General. Have you seen Daniel?” she asked.

“He’s in a VIP room.” Jack told her. “I told him to take a break.” 

“And he did?” Sam questioned teasingly.

Jack gave her a mock-annoyed look and started for the doorway. “No need for a briefing. Just hand in your reports before you leave. Let Teal’c know.”

“Yes sir.” 

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Daniel sat on the edge of the bed. He didn’t know why he’d agreed to come here, after all there was still loads of work to do in his office if he was going to make any headway into finding out more about the mysterious Goa’uld artifacts.

He looked at the journal still held snuggly in his hands and he lowered his head to rest on the top edge of it. If he was being honest with himself he simply needed the distraction. Anything to keep his mind from going over and over what he had read in the journal. How was he supposed to come to terms with the words he’d read there?

They were simply words. Words written thirty years ago, yet still powerful enough after all this time to shake up his world. 

He took off his glasses as his eyes started to burn with tears and laid them down on the bedside table. A tear escaped and he let it trail down his cheek and felt it as it fell onto his hand clasping the journal. 

Maybe his mother’s suspicions weren’t correct. Maybe. But the slight chance that his unborn brother or sister could have also died under that cover stone made him grieve all over again for what might have been.

There must be some way to find out the truth. Surely the hospital where his parents were taken after the accident would have checked for things like pregnancy when they examined a female patient. They would have kept records. He would have to talk to Sam and see if she could dig anything up. To do that though he would have to tell her about the journal, too.

Suddenly he felt so tired. He couldn’t even begin to think about talking it over with her until he was able to get his emotions under control. Maybe if he did just lie down and close his eyes for a few minutes like Jack suggested he would feel better. He bent down and untied his boots and kicked them off, then laid down on the bed still clutching his mother’s journal and the secrets it contained as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Ke'ra sat across from Sam in the commissary looking around at the myriad of people seated at the tables. She could hardly believe she was here once again. She kept glancing at the doorway hoping to see Daniel walk through.

“Ke'ra,” Sam spoke to get her attention, “It’s just as busy and crowded as it was the last time you were here, isn’t it?”

Ke'ra stared at Sam then her face softened and she smiled. “I’m afraid I don’t remember ever being here before. Was I?” She suddenly lost her appetite as she suspected what the underlying reason was for the question, but hoped she’d sounded convincing.

Sam looked at Ke'ra for a few moments and took another bite of Jell-O. Even she had to admit she felt uneasy having Ke'ra here once again. But it was obvious that Ke'ra still had no memory of anything up until she had her memory erased that last time over six years ago. But for some reason she herself had needed some confirmation now that she was actually here on the base for an as yet, undetermined amount of time.

Ke'ra pushed the food around on her plate then glanced up at Sam whose attention had been drawn to something across the room. She realized her reason for being here was to work on a cure but she had her own priorities and had every intention of spending some time with Daniel. 

She looked around imagining how it would be if she stayed here on earth with Daniel. She could finally have him all to herself. A grin curled her lips as she thought of how her new life here would be as Mrs. Daniel Jackson. Now. If she could only find out where Daniel was and why he hadn’t come with his team this time.

“Colonel Carter…” Ke'ra started to speak.

“You can just call me Sam.”

“Oh. All right. Sam. Why did Daniel not come through the Stargate with you? Is he ill?” Ke'ra asked curiously but tried to sound concerned.

“He had a lot of work to do.” Sam told her, careful not to give more information than necessary. “Are you ready to go to the lab?” Sam asked her as she stood up.

Ke'ra put on a smile and followed Sam.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Daniel walked over to the coffeemaker and filled his cup. Hopefully after he’d gotten some caffeine in his body he could feel more awake. Sitting down heavily at his desk, he rubbed at his still sleepy eyes. He couldn’t believe he’d slept almost ten hours. Guess Jack was right. He was exhausted.

He could feel the emotions, fragile and too close to the surface from the events of the day before beginning to seep into his consciousness. The words in his mother’s journal still haunted him like a bad nightmare that would not go away.

He’d never questioned why his parents had not had more children. Living like they did in remote parts of the world, constantly traveling around, he had just reasoned that the lifestyle they led, the careers they pursued, made them decide it was unwise to have more. 

The possibility that his unborn brother or sister had also died that day made a lump form in his throat that would not go away. It had opened the wound again and grief threatened to consume him into a vacuum that he was doubtful he would come out of unscathed. How was he going to make this pain go away?

He took another drink and looked at the journal and then over at the crate. There were still a few items he hadn’t had a chance to look at yet. His eyes drifted over to the ceremonial cup he’d found yesterday. He hadn’t had a chance to show it to Teal’c or Sam yet. Maybe if he concentrated on the two Goa’uld artifacts he’d found in the crate then the other item he’d found there would stay back in the shadows of his mind until he could better deal with it.

He picked up the phone and dialed Sam’s lab but there was no answer. He thought about calling and having her paged but decided instead he would take a walk around the base and find her himself. The walk would do him good, he hoped.

By the time he had checked the commissary and the control room the only logical place to look was the other lab where the scientists and Ke'ra were working on the Vyus problem. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of looking there before. It was just that the current problems on Vyus were the farthest thing from his mind right now. He stepped into the open doorway and peered inside not wanting to disturb them while they were working. 

He saw Dr. Walters who glanced up, nodded, and then went back to examining whatever he was looking at through the microscope. One of the newer research assistants who had been brought in recently whose name he couldn’t recall, was seated at a table reading deep in concentration, but no Sam. As he turned to leave, someone called his name.

“Daniel.” Ke'ra quickly made her way over to where Daniel was standing.

Daniel smiled hesitantly at her as she came over. “Hello Ke'ra. How’s the…uh… research going?”

“We’ve not made any progress I’m afraid.” she told him. “I was worried about you when you didn’t come through the Stargate with the others. Samantha assured me you were not ill.” She took in the sight of him standing there. His hair was mussed as if he had just gotten out of bed and his eyes had shadows that she hadn’t noticed before, but his blue eyes were mesmerizing.

“Have you seen Sam?” he asked.

She stared at him for a few moments trying to control her rage. She had not had a chance to talk to him in nearly a week and all he wanted to talk about was that other woman? She finally pasted a smile on her face. “I’m afraid I haven’t seen her since she and I ate breakfast together this morning.” 

She stepped closer as her voice softened. “Would you like to share a meal with me today, Daniel?” She asked hopefully, but she could sense his hesitancy so she continued on, “It’s frightening to be in a place I have never been before. Or rather I don’t remember being before.” She could see his expression changing and she knew what to say to convince him. “Ever since I lost my memory it is hard to be in unfamiliar places where I know no one. I would be most grateful if you would join me, Daniel.”

He started to open his mouth to speak. He didn’t know why she made him feel so uneasy, but she did. Before he could get the words out he heard his name called. He turned around and saw Sam coming up the corridor toward him. He looked back at Ke'ra, relieved to have an excuse to leave. “I’m sorry Ke'ra. I have to go. Maybe some other time. I really have a lot of work to do.” He said as he made his way to meet Sam.

Ke'ra stared down the corridor as the two of them met. She watched as Samantha put her hand on Daniel’s arm and then they laughed and walked further away from her. She squeezed her fists together tightly trying to push her anger down once again and took a deep breath before turning back into the lab.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Sam and Daniel exited the elevator and made their way to his office. Evidently Teal’c had the day off for personal business and wouldn’t be in today after checking on his whereabouts with Jack.

“I wanted to show you this,” Daniel said as he stepped over to the table and picked up the ceremonial cup and bringing it over to her. He pointed to a row of symbols around the rim as he handed it to her.

“The symbols around the rim are the same kind of symbols that are on the bracelet,” he told her as he sat down in his chair and stared again at the envelope lying in front of him.

Sam examined the cup and started to ask him a question about it until she took a good look at him. She could sense something else was weighing heavily on his mind but she was reluctant to pry. He was obviously hurting although she knew he tried hard to hide it. When you’d worked as closely with people for as long as SG-1 had, you got to know their language. The spoken as well as the unspoken. And the message Daniel’s body was sending out was of someone on the edge. She had to take the chance. 

“Daniel?” she spoke softly but got no reaction so she put the cup down and leaned forward putting her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her and she could see his eyes glistening. He blinked several times before turning away and standing up.

“Daniel? What is it? What’s wrong?” she asked gently.

He cleared his throat and picked up the cup, walking over to the table he put the ceremonial cup back down on the canvas and turned around to face her once again. He leaned back against it and crossed his arms in front of him as his eyes roamed over the room before finally settling on her.

“My mother may have been pregnant with my unborn brother or sister when she was killed.” He stared at a point on the floor and didn’t even notice Sam coming over to put her arms around him.

“Daniel. I’m so sorry.” she hugged him and stepped back enough to look into his eyes as she kept her hands on his arms. “How did you find out?”

“It was in my mother’s journal,” he told her as he stepped away to go to the desk. He picked up the small journal and held it for a moment then brought it over to where Sam stood.

“This journal was in the crate. She only wrote in it a few times before packing it up with the artifacts. She thought she might be pregnant. She was feeling sick. She…” He turned away and leaned on the desk pressing his fingers to his eyes trying to keep some semblance of control.

Sam rubbed his back with her hand as he kept his head lowered, then finally he looked up and turned around to face her.

“Sam, would there be any way to check the medical records on the day my parents were killed. Surely they were taken to a hospital. Even the… morgue would have tests or examinations or something. Wouldn’t they?”

Sam thought for a moment. “I’m sure they would have had some records but it’s doubtful they still have them after all this time.” She wished she could sound more positive but she didn’t want his hopes raised when the odds were so far against it.

“Do you want me to try to find out something, Daniel?”

He looked at her with pain filled but hopeful eyes. “Would you Sam?”

“I can’t promise I’ll find anything Daniel, but I’ll do what I can. Okay?”

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Teal’c got out of the elevator and walked in the direction of Daniel’s office. For the past two days the two of them had been going through the artifacts with a fine-tooth comb before wrapping each one and placing them back into the crate.

His friend had been unusually quiet. He normally told Teal’c stories while they worked. Stories about whatever they happened to be working on at the time. It seemed Daniel knew a little about everything and one could tell he enjoyed teaching others all about the wondrous world around them.

He saw the door was open so he stopped and looked inside. It seemed no one was present, so he entered and let his eyes wander around the room. He enjoyed coming here to this room. It was calm and peaceful and exuded a sense of history that felt at times alive.

“Teal’c” Daniel called his name when he entered and looked at his watch. “Is it that time already?”

“So it is.” Teal’c replied, “I can come back at a more convenient time.”

“No. Don’t be silly Teal‘c. Now is fine. I just lost track of time. I was talking to Sam.”

“Has she had any success finding the information you seek?”

“No. I’m afraid not. So far every lead has turned up in a dead end.”

“I am sorry to hear that DanielJackson.” Teal’c told him sympathetically. He sensed the importance of this to him.

A knock at the door got their attention and they both turned their heads to see Jack walk into the office.

“Daniel. Teal’c. Still busy packing?” Jack inquired as he stepped over and looked down into the crate.

“Indeed we are, O’Neill.” 

Daniel picked up another artifact and started examining it with a magnifying glass. Jack stepped over and stood beside him and leaned over looking through the magnifying glass too. Daniel darted a glance at him.

“Jack?”

“Daniel?”

“What are you doing?”

“Just what you’re doing.”

“Well, stop. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Daniel looked at Jack suspiciously. “Okay? Just like that?”

Jack grinned. “Just like that.”

Daniel set the artifact and magnifying glass down and stared at him. 

“Okay, Jack. What do you want?”

“Daniel, Daniel, Daniel. Can’t I just come and pay you a visit?”

Daniel rolled his eyes and grinned. “You could but you didn’t, so spill it.” 

“Jacob’s here.”

“Here now?” Daniel asked.

“Yeah, he and Carter are in the briefing room. Oh, and she said for you to bring those two Goa’uld artifacts from the museum. Jacob wants to take a look at them.”

Daniel stood up and went over to the table to gather the bracelet and cup in the canvas wrapping as Jack turned to go. 

“I’ll see you two down there.” Jack tapped the doorframe and left and made his way back to the briefing room.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Ke'ra paced the floor in the VIP room she’d been given while she was here. These rooms had not changed that much over the years and all she could think about when she was in here was how she and Daniel had kissed and held each other in a room just like this.

She stepped over to the door and slowly opened it just far enough to see if the guard was still there. Sure enough. He was standing with his back to her room and she slowly closed it feeling the frustration gnawing at her.

She had tried several times over the past few days to slip past the guards to no avail. How could she even begin to convince Daniel to come back to Vyus with her or for her to stay here on Earth with him, if she couldn’t have more than five minutes alone with him?

The last few times she had asked one of the other scientists where Daniel was they’d told her he was supposedly working on some project. If her suspicions were correct she’d guess that meant Daniel and Samantha Carter were working together and the more she thought about it the angrier she became. 

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

The research had been going on nearly twenty-four hours a day since the samples were brought back from Vyus. They still had made no progress. Whatever had affected the handful of people was seemingly undetectable in any of the blood or tissue samples. Samples they had taken of soil and water and food had also turned up nothing.

Jack wasn’t exactly surprised when his superiors contacted him this morning informing him that the research into Vyus’s problem was going to be terminated. The SGC simply could not commit the resources of their lab and scientists to every mysterious ailment that they ran across on an almost weekly basis. 

He had thought about asking Carter to inform Ke'ra that she would be sent back to her planet later this morning but decided since he was already on the floor he would take care of it himself. Not that he wouldn’t be relieved to have her gone. He’d heard all the glowing from the moment she’d stepped through the gate and it hadn’t lessened.

He opened the door to the main lab and stepped inside seeing several people bent over microscopes or mixing different chemicals together. As Jack walked by, Dr. Gibson looked up from his microscope and said, “Good morning, sir.”

Jack nodded and looked around the room for Ke'ra finally seeing her in the far corner of the room deep in concentration as she was looking at a very thick book. He walked over to her.

“Ke'ra.”

She looked up from her reading and smiled.

“General. How nice to see you. I haven’t seen you here in the lab before.” she told him as she laid the book down open on the table.

“Listen, Ke'ra. The SGC is going to have to stop the research. You’ll be going back to Vyus within the hour. The airman will take you to get your stuff together. I’ll tell him when to have you down in the gateroom.”

Ke'ra just stared at him using all her self-control not to lash out in anger at the sudden unexpected news.

Jack nodded to the other scientists and walked out to inform the airman standing outside the doorway of the lab where Ke'ra was supposed to be and when. Little did he know that beneath the surface she was seething in rage. 

What was she going to do now about Daniel? All of her attempts to sneak past the guards had gone unrewarded and even the few times she’d had a chance to talk to Daniel he had seemed distracted and brushed her off. 

Her plans to be with him were no closer to becoming a reality than when she‘d first arrived at the base. He still had not made any advances toward her like she was sure he would have. Could it be that he didn’t have the same feelings for her that she had for him? 

It seemed as if he’d been spending a lot of time with Samantha. Maybe they had a relationship and she had never stood a chance with him in the first place. She didn’t know what to think, but it really didn’t matter now. All that mattered was that they were sending her away from the man she loved.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Jack stood in the control room, his hands tucked firmly in his pockets as he watched the airman escort Ke'ra into the gateroom followed by Carter, Daniel and Teal’c. He glanced down at Sergeant Davis and told him to dial it up. 

Jack watched through the large window as Ke'ra shook Teal’c’s hand shyly and gave Sam a quick hug and then she stepped in front of Daniel who had his arms crossed in front of himself. She said something to him and he grinned and nodded. She stared at him for a few seconds and then she turned away and walked over to the end of the ramp next to the airman to wait. 

As the chevrons finished their sequence Jack thought maybe after Ke'ra left he’d talk to Daniel, Carter and Teal’c and see if the three of them would like to stop by his place after work. Daniel had already finished up looking through the crate of artifacts late last night and had packed them up and shipped them off to the museum in New York early this morning. 

He stared down at Daniel. He knew that the last couple of weeks had been difficult on him. Daniel might not think Jack noticed these things but he did. They could all use a night of pizza and maybe a movie or a hockey game. He was glad the crate of artifacts was now on its way back to New York. Now maybe Daniel would get out of this mountain. Sam was having no luck finding any information though about Daniel’s mother’s medical records at the time of the accident though. But knowing Sam she would let no stone go unturned. 

The last chevron locked and the wormhole burst forth and suddenly Ke'ra grabbed a sidearm from the airman standing beside her and in an instant she had it pointed at Daniel and pulled the trigger. Gunshots echoed through the gateroom as Jack watched horrified as the impact knocked Daniel backwards onto the floor. He ordered the Sergeant to summon a medical team as he ran for the stairs.

The gateroom was in chaos. As soon as Ke'ra had gotten off two shots the other airman standing across the room pulled off several shots of his own and had taken Ke'ra down. She lay still on the ramp as the blue wormhole shimmered behind her.

As Jack ran into the gateroom he saw Carter sitting on the concrete floor cradling Daniel’s head in her lap. She looked up at Jack with tears running down her face and a look of horror on her face that matched his own. He ran over to Daniel and quickly knelt down beside him. 

“Medical team’s on the way.” Jack told them as he looked down at Daniel who was grimacing in pain, his right arm clutching his chest.

Daniel looked up at Jack his eyes wide in fear as he struggled to draw air into his lungs.

“Can’t…breathe…Jack.,” he gasped.

Jack gently pulled Daniel’s arm away and stared down at the black t-shirt that was turning darker where the bullets had hit him in the chest. 

“Jeez.” Jack put his other hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “Hang in there, Daniel. Help’s on the way.”

Daniel nodded and suddenly coughed and splatters of blood trickled from his mouth. 

Jack looked at Sam. “What the devil happened?” he asked tersely. 

“I don’t know, sir. I don’t know why she…” her voice broke as she absently stroked Daniel’s hair. She pulled her other hand out from under Daniel’s head and it was covered in blood. She looked up at Jack in alarm. 

The sound coming from Daniel as he attempted to draw each breath was agonizing to hear. Daniel’s face was growing paler and his lips were beginning to turn blue. When his eyes started to drift shut Jack put his hand on the side of his face and patted it trying to keep him awake.

“Daniel! Look at me.”

Teal’c was standing beside them staring down. “O’Neill. Shall I take DanielJackson to the infirmary myself?”

Jack glanced over at the doorway and just before he was going to yell for someone to see what was taking so long, the medical team came rushing in.

Dr. Brightman and the medics ran into the room with two gurney‘s. The doctor quickly scanned the room motioning the nurse to the person lying at the foot of ramp unmoving. She then rushed over to Daniel and knelt down beside him giving Jack a questioning look before raising his t-shirt to check his injuries. 

There were two bullet holes one in his chest and one in his side. She ran a gloved hand under his back and felt an exit wound for one of the bullet holes. The chest wound was oozing and making a gurgling sound so she grabbed the thick pad of Vaseline gauze from one of her nurses and pressed it against his chest to slow the bleeding. Daniel gasped.

“I know it hurts, Dr. Jackson, but I’ve got to stop the bleeding.”

She motioned for the nurse to take over putting pressure on the worst of the wounds as she pulled her stethoscope out of her pocket and quickly put the ends into her ears and concentrated as she listened to his heart and lungs. 

She slipped the stethoscope to her neck and looked down at Daniel. 

“Daniel, I know you’re having difficulty breathing. One of the bullets has pierced your lung. As soon as we get you to the infirmary we’ll make it so you can breathe easier, all right?”

Daniel nodded but she could see the near panic in his eyes, as each breath was more and more difficult for him.

She glanced over at the still body of Ke'ra as the other medic stood up, met her eyes and shook his head. 

“Get that gurney over here, now! Tell them to page Dr. Warner and have the OR ready.”

Dr. Brightman ordered the medics to carefully lift Daniel up onto the gurney and she examined the large lump that was bleeding on the back of his head where he had hit the floor. It was still bleeding freely so she pressed another gauze pad against it as one of the nurses quickly slipped an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. 

Jack helped Sam to her feet. She continued to stare at Daniel lying on the gurney and didn’t seem to realize her hand and clothes were covered with blood. 

Teal’c had stepped over beside Jack and Sam as they watched the doctor continue to work on Daniel and then she and the medics rushed the gurney carrying Daniel out the door.

“Let’s hurry people.” 

Jack turned and looked at Sam who was still crying and staring at the retreating medical team. He put his hand on her shoulder and she finally turned to look at him.

“Carter? Sam? Why don’t you go get cleaned up and we’ll meet you in the infirmary, all right?” Jack motioned for one of the women airmen to escort Sam to the locker room. She quietly left with her and Jack looked around the gateroom. He stared at the pool of blood on the floor where Daniel had gone down and a lump formed in his throat.

“Get this cleaned up.” He told the airman standing by the door. 

Jack looked at Teal’c. His own mixture of worry, anger, and confusion mirrored in Teal’c’s usually stoic face but neither could speak as they turned and left to head for the infirmary.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Dr. Brightman had treated Doctor Jackson on a few occasions for various injuries along with the usual pre- and post- mission exams since she’d been assigned the post of CMO at the base several months ago, but this… This one was bad. 

Almost as soon as they’d come through the infirmary doors Daniel’s heart had stopped and it had been a tense few moments but they had been able to get the chest tube in and get his heart started in time. He was still in the operating room but she was assured that Dr. Warner was one of the best surgeons around. Hopefully time was on their side. 

From the time the call came for a medical team to get to the gateroom and the time they wheeled Doctor Jackson into the OR was less than twenty minutes. A feat she attributed to an experienced well-organized team of professionals that she was proud to be a part of. Minutes counted for a lot in this line of work. Minutes could make the difference between life and death.

She had watched as Doctor Jackson was quickly prepped and anesthetized and Dr. Warner had wasted no time in locating the bullet that had pierced his right lung. It had however, shattered a small section of a rib before traveling through his lung and lodging just outside the organs’ soft tissue. 

The doctor had repaired the damage done to his rib and had finally gotten the bleeding stopped and was getting ready to repair the damage cause by the second bullet just as she’d been called back to the infirmary for a member of SG-7 who’d been injured on a mission. The officer had only minor injuries however, and she had hurried back to the observation room getting there just as Dr. Warner was getting ready to close.

Fortunately the second bullet had done minimal damage as it passed through Doctor Jackson’s body. The main danger from it would be the risk of infection, which they would treat with high-doses of antibiotics. The impact of his skull on the concrete had caused a concussion and it had taken ten stitches to close the head wound.

She had stayed in the observation room until Dr. Warner was almost finished and only after being assured that the patient was out of danger had she headed to the waiting room. As she came through the doors she was met with three pairs of very worried eyes, including General O’Neill’s.

“Dr. Warner is finishing up the surgery right now, so Doctor Jackson should be in the recovery room soon.”

“Is he going to be all right?” Sam asked, her voice still somewhat shaky from the ordeal.

“Dr. Warner will be able to fill you in on the details but I can tell you he did remove one bullet that shattered part of a rib and pierced his lung. The other bullet evidently went through his body without causing too much damage.”

“When can we see him?” Jack asked.

“I’m sure Dr. Warner will want to speak to you first so I’ll leave that up to him.” She glanced behind her into the infirmary as she thought she heard a gurney being wheeled in and several nurses talking so she assumed the patient was being taken to the recovery room.

“I have to go check on Doctor Jackson. I’ll send the doctor out to talk to you.”

As she turned and went back through the doors Jack, Sam and Teal’c stared at the retreating figure. They had been waiting for several hours on news of their friend and teammate’s condition. They were still stunned by what they’d witnessed earlier in the gateroom and no one knew what to say.

After a few more stressful minutes Dr. Warner finally came through the doors still in his scrubs. He looked at their faces and determined to do whatever he could to ease their minds. This was a close-knit team and he knew they were very concerned about Doctor Jackson. He walked over to the chair closest to him and sat down. The other three exchanged worried glances but followed suit and took seats too as they waited for him to give them the news about his condition.

Dr. Warner leaned forward and clasped his hands in front of him. “First, let me say, I expect Doctor Jackson to make a full recovery barring any unforeseen complications. He came through the surgery just fine. He did give us a bit of a scare when he was first brought into the infirmary. He had an open pneumothorax from the bullet hole in his right lung and while we were putting in a chest tube his heart stopped. Fortunately we only had to shock him once to get it heart started again.

One of the bullets did shatter part of a rib as it traveled through his lung so I had go in and remove some bone fragments but I’m sure we got them all. He’s been intubated to take some of the burden off of his lung as it heals but we can hopefully take him off the ventilator in another twenty-four hours. The chest tube will stay in several more days though until the lung seals itself. 

He’d lost a lot of blood and had to have several units and we’re also giving him antibiotics, which is customary in treating bullet wounds because of the high danger of infection. He has a concussion and it took quite a few stitches to close the head wound but I’m optimistic that he won’t have any permanent damage. Unfortunately we won’t know about that until he wakes up. He’ll be kept sedated for the next twenty-four hours until we remove him from the ventilator.” Dr. Warner saw Sam take Teal’c’s arm and squeeze it and they all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the news.

Jack was the first to speak. “Can we see him?” He needed to see his friend alive and breathing. The vision of Daniel fighting for every breath as he bled all over the floor was still stark in his mind.

Dr Warner stood up. “You can see him for a few minutes but after you see him I would strongly recommend that you all go home, get some rest and come back tomorrow.”

Dr. Warner turned and went through the infirmary doors with Sam, Teal’c and Jack following.

Even before they got to his bed they could hear the machine forcing oxygen into healing lungs and the steady beep of the heart monitor.

Sam stepped up to the bed and stroked Daniel’s hand, then held his fingers in hers, squeezing them gently. She wiped a tear away from her cheek and then stroked his hair like she had done as he lay on her lap on the gateroom floor. She finally leaned down and gave him a soft kiss on his forehead and then released his hand and stepped back.

Teal’c stood stoic as he looked down upon Daniel regretting that once again his friend was having to suffer at the hands of others. He silently said a lament of healing and hope to his friend and he bowed his head, then stepped back. Nodding to Jack, he and Sam slowly left the infirmary together.

Jack looked over all the machines, each doing their individual task of monitoring Daniel’s injured body. Tubes and drains ran out from under the sheet and they made him shudder. He rubbed his hand over his face and stepped closer, finally pulling a chair over beside his bed, he sat down.

He stared at Daniel’s still, pale face but then suddenly flinched as the sound of the bullets ringing through the gateroom flooded back into his mind. How in the devil could this have happened? And why?

Jack leaned forward and bowed his head resting his forehead on his clasped hands, letting out a deep breath. He should have seen this coming. How could none of them have noticed some sign, some clue that Ke'ra would do something like this?

He took another deep breath and looked back up at Daniel. Jack laid his hand on Daniel’s arm. It felt cool to the touch and he left it there feeling his own hand warming the too cool skin. It was just this morning that Jack had been thinking about how proud he was of Daniel. How he had handled the shock of his parents’ crate unexpectedly showing up. 

When they were up on top of the mountain Daniel had told him about the journal that he’d found in the crate. When Daniel had handed the journal to him and asked him to read something he knew was so personal, well he didn’t know what had shaken him up more. The fact that Daniel’s mother might have been carrying Daniel’s brother or sister when she was killed or that Daniel had trusted him so much that he would share such private pain with him. After reading it he had worried about the emotional fall-out. 

A flood of anger at what Ke'ra had done rushed over him and he clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into his hands. He was glad she was dead. The other airman had acted quickly when he shot her or it could have been a whole lot worse. One of the SG teams had taken her body back to Vyus along with a tape of what had happened in the Gateroom so they would see for themselves what one of their own had done to a member of his team. 

Even though Jack didn’t go through the gate on missions as a rule now, he would always be concerned about Daniel’s safety. Guilt flooded over him. He should have known this business with Ke’ra would turn out bad. He should have seen this coming, how he didn‘t know. But he was the commanding officer of the SGC and he was ultimately responsible.

**~ ~ ~ ~**

Jack had been sitting beside Daniel’s bed for over an hour before Dr. Warner came in wearing fresh scrubs. 

“With all due respect, General, you really should get some rest.” Dr. Warner told him.

“Yeah.” Jack glanced at his watch and slowly stood up stretching as he did. “I’m going to lie down in one the VIP rooms. Call me if there’s any change, Doctor.”

“Of course, General.”

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

The first thing that Daniel noticed as he floated toward consciousness was that he needed to pee. The next was an ache in his chest that was slowly beginning to build. He tried to open his eyes but it felt like his eyelids had been weighted down and it took a monumental effort to open them the tiniest bit. He tried to swallow and he cringed at the soreness of his throat. 

A voice in the distance sounded again but he was still floating and concentrated instead on opening his eyes again. A small glimmer of light shown through and the voice sounded again.

“Daniel. Can you hear me?”

Something was tickling his nose and he tried to raise his hand to brush it away but something held his hand down.

“Daniel. It’s Jack. You’ve been asleep long enough. Wake up would ya.” Jack held Daniel’s hand in place so he wouldn‘t dislodge the tubes and wires.

Daniel turned his head slightly and moaned as he tried to ride out the waves of pain that were crashing through his skull and he could faintly hear another voice. A female. He slowly opened his eyes just enough to see a fuzzy image of a woman with brown hair and a white coat standing over him holding a stethoscope against his chest.

He blinked and tried to swallow but his throat was too dry. All he could get out was a weak sigh. “Janet?” Daniel said hoarsely.

Dr. Brightman glanced at Jack then looked back down at her patient as she listened to his lungs and satisfied with what she heard she took out her penlight and quickly shined it in each eye. Daniel flinched and tried to raise his hand to push the offensive light away. She placed her hand over his as she spoke to him. He opened both eyes and stared at her blearily trying to focus.

“Doctor Jackson? Do you know where you are?”

Daniel blinked and swallowed again. “You’re not Janet.”

“I’m Dr. Brightman. Do you remember what happened?” she asked gently.

Daniel tried to blink away the fuzziness in his eyes but finally he saw the face as it leaned closer toward him. It wasn’t Janet. Janet was dead. His eyes started to sting and he heard another voice. 

“Daniel?”

The doctor who wasn’t Janet was replaced by another person who had moved into his sight and he struggled to focus on the face.

“Jack?”

“Yeah. It’s me. How ya doin?”

“Gotta pee.”

Jack grinned and glanced at Dr. Brightman who leaned back down toward Daniel again. “Dr. Jackson? You may feel like you need to urinate but it’s just the catheter you have in. We’ll have to leave it in until at least tomorrow. Do you understand?”

Daniel gave a slight nod and looked around through the haze for Jack.

Jack stepped back in his line of vision and put his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “I’m here, Daniel. You need anything?”

“Water?” Daniel answered weakly.

Dr. Brightman explained to Jack that Daniel’s throat would be sore for a day or two from the breathing tube and she left to get some ice chips. When she returned she handed them to Jack and left to check up on her other patients.

Jack spooned up some ice and held it out. “Daniel, here’s some ice. Open your mouth.” He let the ice chips drop onto Daniel’s tongue and he closed his eyes letting them melt and soothe his throat. Jack gave him ice a few more times and then sat the cup down and pulled the chair over and sat down.

Daniel struggled to open his eyes and stared at Jack with a confused look on his face.

“What happened?” Daniel asked him weakly as he struggled to stay awake and find out why he was in the infirmary and why his head and chest hurt so bad.

“You don’t remember?” Jack was really hoping not to get into this right now but Daniel’s eyes were looking to him for answers so he forged ahead.

“You were shot.”

Daniel stared at him puzzled and he looked off in the distance as he searched his mind. Images of the gateroom finally crept into his consciousness and his eyes opened wider. He flinched as he recalled the sound of gunshots and the pain that hit him. Daniel looked over at Jack. He remembered what happened now. It was Ke'ra.

Jack could see in Daniel’s eyes that he remembered and the whole mess just made him uncomfortable. 

Suddenly Dr. Warner walked into the room and opened Daniel’s chart and started reading the nurse’s notes.

“Colonel.” The doctor said as he nodded at Jack. Then he turned his attention to his patient. “I was told you were awake, Doctor Jackson. How are you feeling?”

“Chest… head… hurts.” 

Dr. Warner took out his stethoscope and listened to Daniel’s lungs.

“I can increase your pain meds now that you’re awake. You’re one lucky man, Doctor Jackson. Another inch and that bullet would have nicked your heart.” The doctor moved the sheet to the side and raised the hospital gown to check the incision. “It looks good,” he assured him. 

Daniel tried to listen to what the doctor was saying but he could fight sleep no longer and his eyes slowly closed.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

Jack had taken care of two meetings, one de-briefing and six phone calls and he was more than happy to escape for a little while here in the infirmary. Daniel was once again asleep after only being able to stay awake for a few minutes when Jack first came in. He turned at the sound behind him and saw Sam walking toward them.

“Carter?”

“Sir,” she said as she looked down at Daniel’s sleeping form, “How is he?”

“Dr. Warner says he’s doing good. He might be able to release him in few days.”

“That’s good, sir.”

“Any luck with those medical records from Daniel’s mother?” Jack asked her.

“I’m afraid not, sir. The hospital where Daniel’s parents were taken after the accident told me they don’t keep records that far back,” she admitted sadly.

Jack looked over at Daniel. “He’s gonna to be disappointed,”he told her quietly, but, maybe its better that you didn’t find out anything.” 

“Yeah. That’s what I was thinking too, sir. If the records did show that his mother was … pregnant, I can’t imagine how that would have affected him,” she said as she looked at Daniel sleeping soundly.

Jack glanced at his watch. He had another briefing to attend with one of the other SG teams, so he stood and stretched.

“You staying?” he asked her as he stopped at the end of the bed.

Sam stepped over to the now unoccupied chair and sat down. “Yes sir. I’m going to stay a couple of hours at least. And don’t worry. I’ll call you if there’s any change.”

Jack nodded and taking one more look at Daniel he turned to leave.

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

“All right, Doctor Jackson. When I say, I want you to take a deep breath and hold it.”

Daniel nodded uncertainly and stared straight ahead, his hands gripping the sheet tightly as he waited.

Dr. Brightman grasped the chest tube firmly and glanced at her patient. “Are you ready?” After she saw him nod she told to take a deep breath and as he held it she quickly slid the chest tube out and covered the small opening with a gauze pad, holding it in place for a few minutes.

“That wasn’t too bad was it?” she asked as she took off her gloves, putting them on the tray. She examined the small opening and then took another clean gauze pad and taped it in place.

Dr. Brightman was concerned with how quiet her patient had been the last few days. She didn’t know him nearly as well as Sam, Teal’c and the General, but the fact that they had mentioned his withdrawal had caused her to be even more observant when she examined him. She had tried to draw him into conversation several times but his friends and teammates were correct, he was quiet and withdrawn and it was beginning to worry her.

She picked up his chart and scribbled some notes in it and read over what Dr. Warner had written about their patient when he’d been in to see him that afternoon. 

Patient: Daniel Jackson

‘Injured lung has sealed and no new symptoms have been observed. Chest tube can be removed and barring any complications patient may be released tomorrow. Continue antibiotics and allow patient to walk as long as he stays in the infirmary area. Continue to monitor for signs of nausea or vertigo as could be complication from concussion. Patient is showing signs of depression. If no improvement upon discharge recommend he seek counseling for post traumatic symptoms.’ 

Dr. Warner, M.D.

Daniel pulled the hospital gown back down and laid back down staring at the ceiling.

Hopefully the doctor would let him go home soon. He’d seen more than enough of these cold gray lifeless concrete walls and especially the ceiling. 

Daniel looked over at Jack as he walked into the room.

Jack stood beside the bed and could see that Daniel was still looking despondent.

“Hey Daniel.”

“Jack” Daniel answered but his mind was miles away.

“So. I heard you might be getting out of here tomorrow.” Jack said.

“Yeah.” Daniel answered quietly. It’s not that he didn’t want out of the infirmary, because he did. But the events of the last few weeks almost seemed surreal. The crate belonging to his parents’ showing up out of the blue containing his mothers’ private journal had left him with questions which would forever remain unanswered. 

He knew Sam had done all she could but too much time had passed, records had been destroyed or lost so he guessed he would never know.

And Ke'ra. He had finally remembered the feelings he’d felt toward her several years ago, but he suspected it was more to do with him reaching out in desperation so soon after losing Sha’re. The malevolent expression on her face as she shot him was not something he was likely to forget any time soon. 

“Don’t let yourself get too excited. You might rip your stitches.” Jack teased Daniel at his odd reaction to the possibility of getting out of here.

Daniel forced a grin and started fiddling with the edge of the blanket. Jack stared at him a few moments then pulled an envelope out of his pocket, handing it to Daniel.

Daniel took it and held it in his hand staring at Jack questioningly. “What is it?” he asked.

“Not a clue. Why don’t you open it and find out?” He had wrestled for hours after the letter came in to the SGC. Especially after seeing who it was from, but he had taken the chance that whatever it was would help bring Daniel out of the funk he’d been in for the last couple of days. 

Daniel looked at the return address and when he saw the name of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the left hand corner he looked up at Jack puzzled. He tore the flap open and started reading. As he did tears started to well up in his eyes and a smile appeared on his face. 

Daniel’s reaction to the letter was beginning to worry Jack and he stepped closer.

“Daniel? Everything all right?” he asked worriedly thinking that maybe he shouldn‘t have given Daniel the letter after all.

Daniel looked up at Jack his eyes glistening and smiled as he handed the letter to Jack.

Jack took the letter from Daniel staring at him trying to read in his face what could have possibly been in the letter to have gotten this reaction. He watched Daniel pinch the bridge of his nose and squeeze his eyes shut. Jack gingerly looked down and started to read.

Metropolitan Museum of Art  
1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street  
New York, New York 10028-0198   
Phone 212-535-7710

Dr. Jackson,

On behalf of the entire committee I would like to thank you and tell you how much we appreciate your donation of artifacts that belonged to Drs. Melburn and Claire Jackson. Their exhibit has been one of the most popular for the past thirty years and we are most excited to have such an abundance of additional items to add to it. It will truly make the exhibit come to life for all those who see it year after year.

We do have one request to ask of you. With the addition of the artifacts we are planning on having a special dedication ceremony of the Jackson’s exhibit in a few months. We would be most honored if you would attend and accept it in their name. As soon as the plans are finalized we will get in touch with you.

Sincerely, 

_Julia Robertson_   
Assistant Curator

When he had finished reading it he looked at Daniel not knowing what to say. Was Daniel’s reaction out of sadness or something else? He looked back down at the letter and then handed it back to Daniel.

“You okay?” Jack asked.

"Yeah," he assured him. "I'll be fine. So... how would you like to go to New York with me?”

"Sounds good. I hear they've got a great museum there.”

**Fin.**

  


* * *

  


>   
>  Author’s Notes: Just want to say a heartfelt   
> thank you to all those who have read and enjoyed my stories. Your feedback makes   
> me smile (and blush) at what a kind, appreciative audience Stargate fans truly   
> are. And as always, my beta, Lenya, has not only helped me clear up any   
> ’oopsies’ in my writing but also given me a few ideas that I was able to use in   
> this fic that added much to its’ depth and drama. And finally, to Daniel   
> Jackson, who without him my passion for writing Stargate fan fiction would have   
> never been sparked.

* * *

>   
>  © July 2004 The characters mentioned in this story are the  
>  property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and  
>  all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together  
>  with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA  
>  Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret  
>  Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not  
>  intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for  
>  entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are  
>  the sole property of the author.  
> 


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